Until the Chinese GP weekend, Daniel Ricciardo was clinging on dearly for his V-CARB seat. However, as the team delivered a new chassis as he desperately demanded it, fortunes turned for good. The Aussie has carried the form from China to Miami now. After a successful performance during the sprint qualifying, he has delivered a remarkable P4 in the sprint race. Among those lauding his gritty performance is Helmut Marko himself.
The Red Bull taskmaster, speaking with ORF, said, “It was a very strong race from him. He (Ricciardo) defended himself fairly but incredibly skillfully against Sainz, who was probably in the faster car. He did it over the race distance, and fourth place is the corresponding reward. It was an impeccable performance.”
Helmut Marko tells ORF: “It was a very strong race from him. He defended himself fairly but incredibly skillfully against Sainz, who was probably in the faster car.” https://t.co/wBvTAwTp6l
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) May 4, 2024
The recent uptick in form is a welcome change for Daniel Ricciardo. He started the season with ambitions of earning a promotion to Red Bull by the end. However, that only ended up putting him under more pressure.
As performance on the track started to suffer, many speculated if he would even manage to keep his V-CARB seat in 2025. However, Ricciardo may have just shown during the Miami GP sprint that he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level.
He had a phenomenal start to the Sprint as he overtook Sergio Perez in P3 on the very first lap. While the Mexican took back the place in the most sublime fashion on Lap 5, Ricciardo did not lose hope. With Carlos Sainz proving to be a threat throughout the rest of the race, the V-CARB driver defended valiantly.
His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, had a praiseworthy race as well. The Japanese driver began the Sprint in P15.
Since he was one of the only two drivers to start the sprint on soft compound tires, he managed his race brilliantly. Displaying the perfect balance of aggression and maturity, the 23-year-old finished P8 (promoted after Lewis Hamilton’s penalty).
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda on course for a strong qualifying
The longer straights and faster corners have played well for V-CARB until now. Both drivers will look to capitalize on it to make sure they make a strong place on the starting grid for the main race.
While Daniel Ricciardo is carrying with himself confidence and momentum, Yuki Tsunoda needs to step up his game. Helmut Marko, however, is leaving no stone unturned in motivating the Japanese driver.
After praising Ricciardo for his Sprint performance, he lauded Tsunoda for making it a perfect race for both Red Bull teams. He said, “Both [Ricciardo and Tsunoda] in the points, and all four [Red Bull] cars in the top 8. This is a sensational result.”
But there is also praise for Tsunoda because he started on the soft, “where we all thought it would collapse after ten or twelve laps,” said Marko.
But that wasn’t the case. “Both in the points, and all four [Red Bull] cars in the top 8. This is a sensational results.”
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) May 4, 2024
Both drivers are hopefuls for a Red Bull seat next year. At the same time, both are also fighting to at least keep the seat they have in 2025.
This has made V-CARB’s driver lineup arguably the most competitive on the grid. Clearly, Ricciardo has the upper hand in Miami so far. Tsunoda, on the other hand, has scored the majority of points for the team.
