Daniel Ricciardo may be encountering his fair share of struggles recently but he still seems to have the complete backing of Visa Cash App RB (V-CARB) team principal Laurent Mekies. At a time when most experts have raised serious concerns about the Australian’s form, Mekies interestingly claimed that the 34-year-old “produced a very strong race” in his home Grand Prix last weekend. Mekies made these remarks even though Ricciardo only qualified 18th and finished the race in twelfth. In stark contrast, Ricciardo’s V-CARB teammate Yuki Tsunoda qualified eighth and finished an outstanding seventh in the main race.
Speaking of Ricciardo’s performance in Australia, Mekies told Autosport, “He was as fast as the guys getting the points today. So we will have been fighting for the points with a more decent starting position. It’s another positive to take home, the fact that Daniel has produced a very strong race as well, even if he was starting from the back”.
Mekies then shed some light on why Ricciardo struggled to match Tsunoda last weekend. The V-CARB boss revealed that the team provided Tsunoda with a car that he was “very comfortable with”.
However, when it came to Ricciardo, the Frenchman revealed that the team still needed to find the right balance of the car to get the best out of the Honey Badger. Although Ricciardo seems to have the backing of Mekies, one thing that seems clear is that even the V-CARB boss believes that the 34-year-old should be performing better than he has been.
The question that now arises is whether Daniel Ricciardo’s recent performances would hurt his chances of achieving his aim of returning to the senior Red Bull team. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently gave his opinion.
Marko questions “weak” Ricciardo’s capability to match Tsunoda
Helmut Marko recently gave an interview where he analyzed the performances of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda. The Austrian began his remarks by praising the Japanese driver for the way he has improved.
Marko simply believes that Tsunoda is faster than Ricciardo at the moment and that the Australian’s current form is concerning. As quoted by laola1.at, Marko said, “The question is: Has Yuki become a high-flyer or is Daniel [Ricciardo] so weak?”
These remarks will not do Ricciardo any favors in achieving his dream of returning to Red Bull, which is by far the most dominant side in recent times. Since Red Bull are currently at the top, there is no doubt that they will want the best driver available, and if Ricciardo does not meet those expectations, his chances of returning to the team seem slim.
However, since only three races have concluded in the 2024 season, Ricciardo has sufficient time to pull up his socks and prove a point to the Red Bull bosses. If he is not able to meet the bare minimum requirement of beating Tsunoda at V-CARB this year, then Red Bull may either choose to stick with Sergio Perez or sign someone else to replace the Mexican in 2025.
