F1: Chinese Grand Prix, Ricciardo Resurgence?
Put the absurd ending to his race in China to the side.
My stance on Daniel Ricciardo in the Visa CashApp RB seat is well-documented by this point. When he was announced as the replacement for Nyck DeVries in 2023, I cautioned his most fervent fans that they should temper their expectations.
It was a new car, a new team, and a new teammate who had just summarily dispatched an experienced racing driver (albeit an F1 rookie). My advice was good. Ricciardo was outscored by Tsunoda in the races they both contested, though there was a broken bone in there for the Australian driver.
If it was an uphill climb last year, it’s been more treacherous terrain this year. He’s more bedded into the team, he’s spent the same amount of time with this iteration of the car as Tsunoda has, and he’s been consistently outperformed in every race weekend until China.
What gives?
It could be any number of things, but Ricciardo has raced here in Formula 1 and that surely provides some value. He also received a new chassis.
The chassis is an interesting conversation.
VCARB Racing Director Alan Permane gave a very clear quote that the chassis they were bringing to China for Ricciardo was not a performance upgrade. It was, for all intents and purposes, a peace-of-mind adjustment.
It might have worked.
Ricciardo outqualified Tsunoda in Sprint Qualifying and Grand Prix Qualifying; not by razor-thin margins either. It may not have been a mechanical performance upgrade but it certainly looks like its arrival has coincided with a mental performance upgrade.
He says it’s too early to know if it’s helping him turn things around but it felt better - I’ll take him at his word.
My critique of keeping Ricciardo in the seat remains - VCARB is, despite their protestations, a development team for Red Bull. If he were consistently crushing Tsunoda with an eye on taking the Red Bull seat, that would justify a driver in their 30s in the seat.
Maybe China is the first step in that direction…or its an anomaly and normal service will resume in Miami.