Marko Hopes RB Deliver Ricciardo Car He Can Drive With To 'At Least Be On Par' With Tsunoda
F1Monday, 25 March 2024 at 21:00
Helmut Marko stated after the third round of the season at Albert Park Circuit that he hoped Daniel Ricciardo would be able to match his teammate's pace.
Daniel Ricciardo went into the Australian Grand Prix weekend hoping to bounce back after a below-expectations start to the season.
However, the Australian driver seems to be struggling to match the pace of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. It showed during Q1 in qualifying around Albert Park Circuit.
The Honey Badger said he put in one of his best laps, which he knows tends to rank very high, but it was still one-tenth slower than the one of his Japanese teammate.
Not to mention that it was even deleted for track limits shortly after, and the 34-year-old was knocked out of Q1 as a consequence.
The race yet again highlighted the gap between the two teammates as the 23-year-old went on to score six points for his team with P7, while Ricciardo finished only 12th.
After the first three races of the season then, the head-to-head score between Ricciardo and Tsunoda is 0-3 in qualifications and 1-2 in race results. As jp.motorsport.com reports, Helmut Marko said after the race:
"He's struggling. We'll have to see. There were some good signs at the test in Bahrain, but the last few races have not gone so well."
"Ricciardo needs a car that is safe and confident. I hope the team will give it to him so that he can at least be on par with Yuki."
The Red Bull boss, on the other hand, praised Tsunoda's performance, saying that the 23-year-old driver "ran perfectly" and that the team from Milton Keynes confirmed that he was an "absolutely mature driver."
According to The Herald, Marko gave Ricciardo an ultimatum following the Australian Grand Prix. The Australian either had to improve during the upcoming two races in Japan and China, or he would reportedly be replaced by Liam Lawson as soon as in Miami—in three races.
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