Daniel Ricciardo‘s 2024 season has been inconsistent, to say the least. While the Australian driver continues to underperform compared to V-CARB teammate Yuki Tsunoda, he has had a couple of extremely strong weekends that provide him with some much-needed confidence. As such, he hopes to continue his partnership with Tsunoda in 2025.
During the Spanish GP press conference, Ricciardo reflected on his P8 finish in Canada, which makes him optimistic about the future. Talking about that, he insists that he has no plans to leave his current setup.
“Canada helps, I needed a result like that,” said Ricciardo. “I’d like to stay. Now, I’m back in the Red Bull family I don’t see myself anywhere else. I want to earn it. I know I can do performances like I did last week“.
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Ricciardo then praised Tsunoda for pushing him week in and week out. He feels that they have formed a strong partnership and are doing well to achieve V-CARB’s goals together.
Heading into Canada, Ricciardo was criticized heavily by pundits, including 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. The honey badger likely used his words as motivation to hit back and will be hoping to maintain a similarly high level for the remainder of the season.
Daniel Ricciardo hoping for a strong Spanish GP
Ricciardo doesn’t want a contract extension just because of his reputation. He wants to earn it. And to prove his worth, the 34-year-old will need to improve on his consistency.
In Barcelona this weekend, V-CARB will also bring in new upgrades which should bolster the team’s performance. A lot of teams will be following suit, because of which Ricciardo expects a competitive race. But in terms of his abilities, the Perth-born driver is optimistic.
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V-CARB, with 24 points, is 20 behind Aston Martin whom they want to put under pressure. With a good result involving both cars at the Spanish GP, they can do just that.
However, outjumping the Silverstone-based outfit won’t be easy and Ricciardo and Tsunoda will have to push for big points to get something out of the weekend.