(L to R): Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) RB and Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) RB. 21.02.2024. Formula 1 Testing, Sakhir, Bahrain, Day One.
Daniel Ricciardo opted to avoid making a big deal out of the disagreement that occurred with his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Formula 1. He is taking a long-term perspective on the matter.
During the closing stages of the season opener, both RB cars were outside of the points when Ricciardo approached Tsunoda, who was trailing behind Kevin Magnussen.
Given that Tsunoda was on the Hard tire and Ricciardo was on the Soft compound, RB instructed Tsunoda to let his teammate pass, much to his displeasure.
Tsunoda complied with the request, but after seeing Ricciardo fail to overtake the Haas, he expressed his frustration by swerving towards the other RB car on the cooldown lap.
While Ricciardo mentioned that such a situation had been discussed before the race, Tsunoda claimed that the order caught him by surprise and wanted to have a discussion about it.
However, Ricciardo believes that Tsunoda will realize his mistake once things have calmed down. He explained that he wants to avoid letting this incident set the tone for the rest of the season.
“Look, it’s only the first race out of 24. Yes, there was some conflict today, but I don’t want that to define our relationship,” Ricciardo stated.
“I think we should talk about it in the team meeting now, honestly, and hopefully once he has calmed down, he can acknowledge that he should have moved earlier.”
When asked about his interaction with Tsunoda, Ricciardo responded, “No, no. I’ll give him some time to calm down. We’re familiar with his behavior; he tends to get very…that’s just how Yuki is. But I think once we’re back in the room, he’ll be completely fine.
“As for me, I’m alright. I’m thinking long-term, of course. This is a lengthy season, so we need to be able to work together. I won’t approach the situation with anger.
“We just have to be honest and realistic that it should’ve happened when they called it.”
RB was expected to be a contender for earning points in Bahrain after strengthening its technical ties with Red Bull and performing well in pre-season testing.
However, despite Tsunoda qualifying in 11th place and initially running in the points, the Faenza-based team fell behind the top 10 teams.
Ricciardo emphasized that he is not “worried” about RB’s competitiveness and believes the team will become stronger as the record-breaking 24-race calendar progresses.
“It’s a very long season, and Saudi Arabia is a high-speed track with completely different asphalt, so we won’t have the same tire degradation as we did here,” he added. “So whether that’s advantageous for us or not, we’ll see. It could also change from track to track.
“But we were aware during the winter that we might have a slow start to the season.
“We believe that as the season progresses, we’ll make improvements to the car, hopefully more than other teams.
“I’m not worried; it would have been great to start the season earning points, but hopefully, we’ll be on an upward trajectory.”