Giedo van der Garde fears that the end of Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career is becoming increasingly apparent. The Australian was soon finished in Japan, after an incident with Alexander Albon. Van der Garde believes that both drivers did not make a strong impression in that incident.
It was a painful crash for both Ricciardo and Albon, especially figuratively. Albon wrote off a Williams for the second weekend in a row, while Ricciardo was looking for a boost after poor performances and a storm of criticism. ‘With all due respect, Albon tries to avoid that. Of course, he saw a gap, but you know that Ricciardo will go outside to take that next corner normally,” Van der Garde says in the DRS: The Race Show podcast.
Ricciardo ended up in his colleague’s blind spot, Van der Garde sees. ‘He never expected Ricciardo to be there. Albon in particular must keep in mind that he should not drive any damage. He knows they already have a problem, with a broken chassis and not too many parts. So don’t do any damage,” says Van der Garde. ‘A few bends later the whole car is broken again. That’s very stupid. This was just a racing incident, but if you know you can’t take too many risks, Albon should never have done this.’
Addition to Ricciardo
While Albon mainly has to fear the availability of two chassis at Williams, Ricciardo has to increasingly fight for his own place at the team. ‘If you are under pressure and drive very tensely, you let everyone pass and you make mistakes. Then you get hit and you go into the wall,” says the former driver about the lack of self-confidence. “If this continues, it will take a few more races and then Liam Lawson will be in that car,” the former Formula 1 driver predicts. “This is not the end for Ricciardo, but if he doesn’t perform in the next two or three races, things will go fast. He was also behind him in qualifying, although the difference was very small. He really needs to be there in the coming races.’
Ricciardo has been struggling in his career for years and seems to be on his last chance. ‘He’s a nice guy, but he’s also just a really good driver. He is now just a little short against Yuki Tsunoda, and he was a little short against Max, and next to Lando Norris he was also a little short,” Van der Garde adds. ‘Then you start to doubt yourself and wonder whether it is still possible. Confidence diminishes, and everyone is talking about him. If you can’t break that, then you’re done. At McLaren we also saw that he had lost his way.’
Contract with Tsunoda
‘Tsunoda is just doing very well,’ notes Van der Garde. ‘Nice overtakes, and another point. Outside in those Esses, horrible! He’s doing really well and is in his place. He is getting a bit older and a bit calmer, and has a bit more experience,” said Van der Garde. “I don’t think so,” the Dutchman responds to the question whether Tsunoda is going to Red Bull Racing. “He’s a Honda driver, so I think he will be taken to Aston Martin. Then Lance Stroll can go on holiday.’
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