Daniel Ricciardo is off to a woeful start, in a season that many considered to be the most important in his career so far. Initially believed to be competing for a Red Bull seat, Ricciardo is now fighting to just stay in F1. Despite this, the fact that he is taking part in activities off track to maintain his personality in front of the camera is not taken well by former driver Christijan Albers.
Ricciardo rejoined V-CARB in 2023 with only one aim in mind and that was to return to Red Bull. However, his form has been nothing short of concerning. V-CARB teammate Yuki Tsunoda has completely outperformed him after the first three races.
Tsunoda finished an outstanding P7 in Australia (Ricciardo’s home race) and scored six points for the team. On the other hand, Ricciardo is still to score his first points this year. Albers feels that until Ricciardo gets back to performing well on track again, he doesn’t deserve to show off his “laughing” and “funny” personality.
“What irritates me a little bit is that he keeps laughing and doing activities around driving,” Albers said on the De Telegraaf podcast, as reported by news.com.au. “Just focus on the racing. Only then can you start being funny again,” Albers added.
Daniel Ricciardo is now under tremendous pressure to perform, and some reports are pointing towards an early exit from the team for the Perth-born driver.
Will V-CARB replace Daniel Ricciardo?
Earlier this month, the NZ Herald reported that Red Bull presented Daniel Ricciardo with an ultimatum. As per the report, if Ricciardo does not perform well in Japan and China, he will be replaced.
The driver who is tipped to replace him is none other than Liam Lawson. The driver from New Zealand made his debut last year as Ricciardo’s injury substitute, and in the five races he filled in for the Honey Badger, he showed the paddock that he belonged at the pinnacle of motorsports.
Lawson even outperformed Tsunoda during their short time together as teammates. Unfortunately, for the Red Bull junior, Ricciardo and Tsunoda became the full-time drivers for V-CARB in 2024. As a result, Lawson remains the team’s reserve driver, something that could change if Ricciardo doesn’t improve.
