'Best Smile' Doesn't Give Ricciardo Right To Race In F1 Says Jordan

Friday, 15 March 2024 at 21:30

Eddie Jordan warned after the second race of the season at Jeddah Corniche Circuit that Daniel Ricciardo's current performances might not be enough to retain his seat in F1.

Daniel Ricciardo said ahead of this season that his goal is to get back to Red Bull Racing and finish his career with the Austrian team.

The Honey Badger was even said to be Red Bull's top priority. However, as of the second race of 2024, he hasn't shown performances that would impress someone like Helmut Marko and make him say, 'Ricciardo needs to come to Red Bull.'

Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan acknowledged on a recent episode of the Formula For Success podcast how "loved" Ricciardo is in the F1 community, but he also pointed out the harsh truth, saying that can't guarantee the 34-year-old a seat in F1.

"I don't think there is a more loved personality in Formula 1, certainly got the best smile that I've ever seen in Formula 1. He is a magic guy to have in a team. But you know, that doesn't give you the right to be the driver in the team."

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"He needs a result more than anyone perhaps, and he needs to get it together. Because otherwise he is going to be replaced and he can understand why he would be replaced because the performance is just not there."

Marko in Red Bull said that any of the two drivers in RB might have a chance in Red Bull if they manage to outperform the other one.

So far, the head-to-head score between Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda is 0:2 in qualifying sessions and 1:1 in race results. The Red Bull advisor already warned after the race in Jeddah that the Australian driver "needs to come up with something soon." Jordan added:

"So, Daniel as much as we absolutely adore him and I think he’s a huge asset for Formula 1, the stopwatch never lies and the stopwatch in terms of Daniel, the question marks are out there."

"When we see people like Oliver Bearman coming in like the way he did, people like Daniel Ricciardo will have to look over his shoulders and say, 'How much time have I left here?'"