Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian driver for RB VCARB 01, was forced to retire from the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix. The race took place on April 21, 2024, in Shanghai, China. Laurent Mekies, the Team Principal for RB, expressed disappointment in the unfortunate incident that caused Ricciardo’s retirement, considering the progress he had made during the race.
While Ricciardo was in ninth place under the Safety Car, his race took a turn for the worse when Lance Stroll collided with the rear of his car at the Turn 14 hairpin, resulting in significant damage to the floor. Stroll received a 10-second time penalty for his actions, but this provided little consolation for Ricciardo as he dropped down the order and eventually had to retire from the race.
Another unfortunate incident occurred when Yuki Tsunoda’s race came to an end after Kevin Magnussen from Haas collided with his rear wheel, causing Tsunoda to spin out. Mekies believes that both Stroll and Magnussen could have avoided these incidents, and he hopes that such occurrences do not become a regular feature of Formula 1 races.
When asked about the possible causes of these clashes, Mekies stated that he was unsure but believed that both incidents appeared unnecessary. He expressed his desire for these incidents to be isolated occurrences in an otherwise intense battle among the midfield drivers.
Mekies expressed his disappointment at RB’s missed opportunity to score points in the Constructors’ standings. With both of their cars taken out by competitors in a single lap, RB was unable to fight for the valuable point they had been aiming for. Mekies felt that they had the pace and the right strategy to compete with their rivals, and Daniel Ricciardo had been in a strong position to challenge Lewis Hamilton before the Safety Car was deployed.
Despite the disappointment, Mekies found some positives in RB’s performance. He acknowledged that they had rebounded from a difficult start to the weekend and praised Ricciardo for his improved performance compared to the beginning of the 2024 season. He believed that Ricciardo had made significant progress behind the scenes and was pleased to see him performing at a high level.
In conclusion, Mekies acknowledged that racing can be unpredictable and sometimes things don’t go as planned. However, he found reassurance in RB’s pace and Ricciardo’s performance, and he remains optimistic for future races.