Daniel Ricciardo emphasized the contrast in his experience with two distinct car frames during his time at McLaren as RB prepares a fresh vehicle for the Australian driver for the Chinese Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo [L] Lando Norris [R] (images via IMAGO)
spent the 2023 season on the sidelines after enduring two disappointing years with McLaren. However, Red Bull called upon the Australian driver to replace at AlphaTauri (now RB). Unfortunately, the 34-year-old has failed to meet expectations thus far in the current season. Ricciardo reflected on his struggles at Woking as the Faenza-based team introduces a new chassis for the Honey Badger.
Ricciardo secured victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix for McLaren after a challenging start to his tenure with the British team. The Australian driver recalled that the Woking-based squad provided him with a fresh car for the subsequent race in Russia. However, things did not go smoothly for in Sochi. Consequently, the 34-year-old requested his team to revert back to his previous vehicle.
The Honey Badger asserted that with the return of his old car, his performance improved once again. Consequently, Daniel Ricciardo admitted to being skeptical about different car frames as some have not yielded favorable results for him over the years. Ricciardo desired to address this skepticism by trying out a new RB chassis.
Ricciardo has consistently been outperformed by in 2024. recently alleged that the Australian driver approached the start of the Japanese Grand Prix cautiously, leading to his collision on Lap 1. Consequently, the 34-year-old encountered difficulties in extracting the maximum potential from his car. Therefore, a new VCARB-01 chassis could work wonders for Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian driver expressed his curiosity in experimenting with a different car frame in the upcoming race in China. Daniel Ricciardo believed that this would provide him with peace of mind. This way, the 34-year-old would not question the car as the cause of his recent decline in performance.
“I’m curious because it will at least give me peace of mind, and I will be able to say, ‘okay,’ I took away this doubt,” said Daniel Ricciardo.
Undoubtedly, Daniel Ricciardo would be hopeful of making a comeback with the brand new chassis in Shanghai. The Australian driver needs to establish himself as the leading driver at RB if he wishes to continue racing for Red Bull in the next season. Therefore, fans would anticipate witnessing Ricciardo quickly adapt to his new car in the next race.