Helmut Marko claims Daniel Ricciardo’s ‘killer instinct’ was gone after he left Red Bull
Helmut Marko opined that Daniel Ricciardo's ability to perform at a high level had diminished after he left Red Bull in 2018.
Daniel Ricciardo and Helmut Marko
Daniel Ricciardo’s disappointing performances led VCARB to re-evaluate his position within the team. The Australian scored only 12 points this season, trailing his less experienced teammate Yuki Tsunoda by 10 points. On Thursday, the Milton Keynes-based outfit parted ways with Ricciardo and replaced him with Liam Lawson.
Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko shared insights into the 35-year-old’s departure from Formula. He stated that Daniel Ricciardo’s decision to leave Red Bull in 2018 marked a turning point in his career. At that time, while Red Bull had a race-winning car, competing alongside Max Verstappen made it challenging for the 35-year-old to secure victories.
Marko noted that when Ricciardo joined Renault and later McLaren, neither team had a race-winning car, which further made a dent in his performances. Despite this, the Honey Badger did win a race in Monza with McLaren, which Marko considered a special occurrence.
I think the decision to leave Red Bull Racing was the turning point in his career. Then he didn’t have a winning car at either Renault or McLaren. He did win at Monza, but those were special circumstances.
Helmut Marko told Autosport
Marko stated that the team was unaware of what actually affected Ricciardo’s performance. He noted that, while the Australian once had impressive speed, he seemed to have lost his edge lately. This was particularly evident in his ability to brake late and make quick decisions during races.
I don’t know what exactly happened, because if we knew, we would have helped him. But the speed and, above all, this late braking, and then he goes left or right. in these last few years he tried but it was no longer there, the killer instinct was gone
Helmut Marko added
Helmut Marko revealed that he had warned Daniel Ricciardo against leaving Red Bull for Renault
Helmut Marko stated that Daniel Ricciardo doubted the Honda engines powering Red Bull at the time, leading to his exit. Ricciardo was also overly convinced by the promises made by Renault’s then team principal Cyril Abiteboul.
Ricciardo trusted the Enstone-based team and signed with them. The 82-year-old said he had warned the Australian that competing with Renault would be difficult. He also pointed to their lack of success.
He had certain reservations about the Honda engine and apparently he listened more to the sweet talk of Renault and Cyril Abiteboul, I also told him: ‘Shoeys will be hard for you’. I don’t think we’ve seen Renault on the podium a lot.
Helmut Marko stated
Helmut Marko opined that if Daniel Ricciardo had avoided some of his past mistakes, he could have won more races and earned several podium finishes. Constantly switching teams caused him to lose his inner spark, leading to underperformance season after season. After announcing his exit from F1, several F1 figures, including his former teammate Max Verstappen and team principal Christian Horner, bid him farewell.
Gaurang Kadam
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