Daniel Ricciardo and RB will make changes at the upcoming Chinese GP to revive his 2024 campaign.
It cannot be said that Daniel Ricciardo is having the strongest start to this year’s campaign, having failed to score points or reach Q3 in the opening four rounds. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda is performing at a higher level, qualifying no lower than P11 in 2024 and securing points on two separate occasions.
The next few months will be essential for everyone in Formula 1, but especially those at the Red Bull set-up. The reigning Champions have a promising talent in Liam Lawson, who is almost certainly going to feature in next year’s grid. Inevitably, this means that someone will have to make way for the 22-year-old. Even in Formula 2, Isack Hadjar and Pepe Marti are showing signs of potential. For these reasons, above all, time is of the essence for the 8-time race winner.
Ricciardo to run with new chassis
Following the Williams debacle at the Australian GP, the topics of chassis have become more prominent than ever before. Whilst the Racing Bulls are not facing the same shortage, they will also be changing one of their driver’s chassis.
Ricciardo raised this earlier in the year, convinced that something in his VCARB 01 is contributing to his performance deficit to Tsunoda. Speaking to the media in Japan, RB sporting director Alan Permane confirmed that this request for a chassis change will be accepted.
The Faenza-based outfit had spare chassis scheduled to arrive in Shanghai anyway, so fitting Ricciardo with the new version is convenient. However, Permane made clear that this change will not generate any actual performance. Rather, this change is likely to give the team’s more experienced driver some peace of mind – crossing off another theory for his 2024 difficulties.
Tsunoda continues to excel
Of course, the simple truth is that Yuki Tsunoda is driving better than Ricciardo. With a reasonable sample size, this much is clear. Assuming that the Australian will automatically outperform Tsunoda when everything clicks is a mistake.
Tsunoda’s speed compared to Pierre Gasly in 2022 is an often-overlooked variable. The 23-year-old performed at a very high level against a very solid benchmark. Therefore, his winning record against several teammates since then is of little surprise.
Therefore, regardless of this chassis change, the internal battle at RB will be determined by pure performance. With a clearly established top-five group, points are always hard-fought for the remaining teams. In this sense, even strong performances are not necessarily rewarded with points.
This will force Ricciardo to emulate Tsunoda’s efforts, banking on the front-runners’ misfortune to score points.
