Nico Hulkenberg served as Daniel Ricciardo’s teammate at Renault in 2019 when the 34-year-old had recently departed from Red Bull Racing.
Nico Hulkenberg [L] Daniel Ricciardo [R] (images via IMAGO)
In 2023, Nico Hulkenberg made a return to Formula 1 mid-season with AlphaTauri (now VisaCashAppRB). The Australian driver had been sidelined after two disappointing seasons at McLaren. However, the 34-year-old’s struggles have resurfaced in the challenging start to the 2024 season. Ricciardo’s former teammate and expressed his views on the performance of the 8-time race winner.
Hulkenberg and Ricciardo were teammates at Renault in 2019. The Australian driver outperformed his German counterpart by seventeen points. However, in 2024, has been outpaced by teammate Yuki Tsunoda at VCARB.
asserted that Ricciardo’s underwhelming performance was perplexing. The German driver reminisced about how competitive and swift Daniel Ricciardo was during their time together at Enstone.
Nico Hulkenberg highlighted that Ricciardo even struggled with the 2021 McLaren under the previous regulations. This indicated that the ground-effect rules were not the primary cause of the Australian’s difficulties.
Ricciardo was recruited by AlphaTauri following an impressive test in the RB19 at Silverstone. However, the 34-year-old seems to have lost the remarkable pace he exhibited last season. Doubts have arisen regarding the Australian driver’s future, with Red Bull junior Liam Lawson waiting for an opportunity.
Nico Hulkenberg stated that comprehending Ricciardo’s situation without access to all the information and data was challenging. Hulkenberg maintained his belief that the Australian is a talented driver. However, the Haas driver suggested that Daniel Ricciardo may not be as formidable as he once was.
Daniel Ricciardo has failed to meet expectations thus far in the season. The Australian driver made it clear that he is striving to improve through regular discussions with the Faenza-based team. Nevertheless, the 8-time race winner continues to struggle against Tsunoda. Fans will be hoping to witness Ricciardo enhance his performance in the upcoming races.