Daniel Ricciardo approached the 2024 season, hoping to reignite his way back to the top of F1. Unfortunately, the slump he entered following his Red Bull exit in 2019 seems to be continuing, as the Honey Badger struggles to get results for V-CARB. Going into the Chinese GP, Ricciardo looks back on his pleasant memories at the Shanghai International Circuit, and hopes that history repeats itself.
As reported by RacingNews365, Ricciardo feels that the Chinese GP could mark a turnaround in his fortunes. The Australian driver remembers his last outing in China, which provided him with a glimpse of hope during his lackluster Renault stint.
“I’ve got definitely good memories even the last time we were there in Renault,” said Ricciardo. That was where I felt my Renault campaign kind of started to turn around.”
Ricciardo finished the race in P7 that afternoon in Shanghai, which was his first points finish with the Enstone-based outfit. The Perth-born driver hasn’t scored a single point in 2024 so far.
Thus, he will be hoping for a similar race to his last outing in China. Ricciardo’s excitement about returning to Shanghai could also be down to the fact that the track provided him with one of his best F1 race wins of all time.
Daniel Ricciardo’s best Chinese GP memory
In 2018, Ricciardo’s Chinese GP with Red Bull got off to a bad start. He barely made it to Q1 with an engine issue, and fought hard to secure a P6 starting position. Both Ferrari and Mercedes drivers were ahead of him in the grid order, as was behind his then-teammate Max Verstappen in 5th.
Still, aided by a Red Bull strategic masterclass, Ricciardo drove a brilliant race to finish P1. To date, no driver in Chinese GP history has won a race from as low as 6th, except for Ricciardo and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
Fast forward to 2024, Ricciardo will suit up for the Chinese GP, representing Red Bull’s sister team V-CARB. The Faenza-based team is nowhere close to winning or even competing for the top places.
For Ricciardo, a points finish will be as valuable as a top step on the podium this coming weekend, particularly because his teammate Yuki Tsunoda managed to do the former in the last two races.
