Ricciardo’s inexplicable decline is well documented. Choosing to accept the financial offer, he left Red Bull to join Renault, and since then his career and performance have taken a drastic downturn. This has been particularly evident at McLaren, where he arrived with high expectations, only to be overshadowed by Lando Norris.
According to most reports, McLaren made every effort to make Ricciardo feel comfortable at Woking, but ultimately insulted him by paying him off to make room for another Australian driver, Oscar Piastri. The rest, as they say, is history. Piastri has made a name for himself in the F1 scene and continues to be one of the most promising young talents on the grid. In contrast, Ricciardo’s return to the Red Bull junior team, now known as VCARB, can be likened to the story of The Prodigal Son.
From the beginning, Ricciardo made it clear that he desired Sergio Perez’s seat alongside Max Verstappen. However, Red Bull’s design team, led by Adrian Newey, has created the RB20 masterpiece, which suits the experienced Mexican driver better. As a result, Perez’s strong performances in the opening races have solidified his position.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo’s performances have been lackluster, even in the previous year. Replacing Perez seems highly unlikely and, in fact, unwise considering his current form. The once cheerful Australian driver, who now smiles less frequently, may struggle to complete the year with VCARB.
In an interview with the Herald Sun, former F1 World Champion Alan Jones had a warning for Ricciardo. He acknowledged that luck plays a part, but emphasized that blaming the car is not a viable excuse. Jones expressed his desire to see Ricciardo perform well, both in Melbourne and in general. However, he believes that Ricciardo’s luck needs to change or he must elevate his performance if he wants any chance of returning to the Red Bull team or driving a more competitive car.
Jones stated that Ricciardo is currently stagnating and needs to achieve strong results and put on an impressive display. He cannot afford to remain at his current level. While Jones would love to see Ricciardo become highly competitive and consistently score points, he believes that certain changes need to occur before that can happen.
Jones also commented on Ricciardo’s current car, whether it be the Alpine or the McLaren. He stressed that Ricciardo must start outperforming his teammate as a first step towards improvement. These words of advice come from the 77-year-old racing legend.
It should be a breeze for most top drivers to surpass Tsunoda. The 23-year-old Japanese racer, who has been in Formula 1 for four seasons, is not exactly an impressive or consistent benchmark. He is currently driving for VCARB until the end of this season, but with Honda no longer involved, it raises questions about his future in F1.
If Ricciardo struggles to outperform Tsunoda, it’s worth noting that Tsunoda has already outqualified his teammate in the two races they have competed together this year. In their previous ten races at VCARB (formerly known as AlphaTauri), Tsunoda has a 7-3 advantage in qualifying and a 6-4 advantage in races.
For Ricciardo, who is eyeing a move to Red Bull where his former teammate Verstappen is excelling, it’s safe to assume that he would be dominated by the talented Dutch driver.
Unsurprisingly, doubts are starting to arise about Ricciardo’s abilities. Even F1 legend Alan Jones, a fellow Australian, has lost faith in him.
The Australian Grand Prix, which is the third round of the 2024 F1 World Championship, will take place in Melbourne from March 22 to 24 at Albert Park.