Daniel Ricciardo reportedly gets a two-race ultimatum from Red Bull to bounce back from poor performance

Daniel Ricciardo has got off to an extremely bad start during the ongoing 2024 F1 season.

Daniel Ricciardo reportedly gets a two-race ultimatum from Red Bull to bounce back from poor performance

Daniel Ricciardo [L] and Helmut Marko [R] (images via IMAGO)

The start of the 2024 season has been underwhelming for Daniel Ricciardo. The Aussie has been beaten by Yuki Tsunoda three to nil in qualifying. Also, to rub salt in his wounds, the Japanese driver scored points in Australia, where Ricciardo struggled to cling to the outer edges of the top 10. Subsequently, this has increased the pressure on the RB driver, who is fighting to save his dwindling F1 career.

According to the New Zealand Herald, Daniel Ricciardo has been given an ultimatum by Helmut Marko to sort things out and start performing. This has come after his torrid weekend in Australia where he got eliminated in Q1 and finished a disappointing 12th. On the other hand, Yuki Tsundoda brought home maiden points for the Faenza-based outfit. This has reportedly urged the Red Bull hierarchy to decide on the matter and has provided the Australian with two races to prove his worth to the team just like Nyck de Vries.

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Red Bull currently has a plethora of drivers in the junior ranks waiting to get a promotion. Moreover, Liam Lawson seems to be a candidate waiting to take Ricciardo’s seat who is doing wonders in Super Formula. Thus, Ricciardo has the Japanese and the Chinese Grand Prix to save his seat on the grid, or else a fast Kiwi could knab his seat. It is a do-or-die situation for the 34-year-old at RB.

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Daniel Ricciardo’s verdict on his tricky situation at RB

Ricciardo joined VCARB(AlphaTauri) last year at the Hungarian GP and qualified ahead of his teammate, which set a trend of the Aussie being ahead of his counterpart during the latter half of the season. However, the momentum has not transcended into the ongoing 2024 season, as Ricciardo has been trundling behind Tsunoda since the start of the campaign.

Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo (Via: Imago)

Ricciardo’s take on his subpar performances! 

I didn't expect to start the season like this. Budapest last year, I drove the car a day before and then out-qualified Yuki and had a really strong race with no knowledge. Then having a full pre-season [this year] and all the races last year, I honestly thought that this year, we would start a lot stronger. I understand, not only me, but a few people are wondering why. The important thing is that I stay on course, not that my head is filled with nonsense or anything. I honestly feel good and just, unfortunately, the results haven't made me feel awesome. But deep down behind the wheel, I feel good.
Daniel Ricciardo said in an interview with Crash.net

The Aussie elaborated that he did not expect the start of the season to be this bad. Moreover, it is quite surprising for him to see his teammate pull out tenths on him in the same machinery and thus is finding it difficult to wrap his head around it.

Despite this, Ricciardo feels at home with the car and is optimistic about his chances at the next few Grand Prix. Moreover, he has vast experience around Suzuka and would like to score some points to save his seat for the foreseeable future.

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