Daniel Ricciardo has set his sights on the seat at Red Bull Racing next to Max Verstappen. Sergio Pérez’s contract expires at the end of this season, but if the Australian, who plays for sister team Visa Cash App RB (RB) this season, wants to make the move to the big Red Bull, he will, as far as Helmut Marko is concerned, should show improvement quickly.
The 2024 season has not started too well for RB and especially for Ricciardo. During the opening weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit, the Australian crossed the finish line earlier than teammate Yuki Tsunoda, but the eight-time Grand Prix winner needed the help of his team.
In Saudi Arabia last weekend, Ricciardo could not even match his younger teammate. Where Tsunoda managed to surprise in qualifying and reach Q3, the driver from Perth was stuck in a disappointing fourteenth place. Things didn’t go any better in the race. The RB driver spent almost the entire race in the rearguard and to make matters worse, he also lost control of his car in the final phase.
Fortunately, Ricciardo was limited to a spin, but Red Bull advisor Marko seems to be increasing the pressure on the experienced driver. “There is a lot at stake this season for both Yuki (Tsunoda, ed.) and Daniel (Ricciardo), ed. Yuki’s qualifying was very good and Ricciardo will have to come up with something quickly,” Marko clearly states at Speedweek that he is more expected from the 34-year-old Australian.
RB drivers drop back into the race
Despite the closer collaboration with Red Bull, there is still a lot of work to be done for RB. Since Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin seem to have an advantage over the other five teams, it will not be an easy task to score points. Marko sees that the speed in qualifying is good, especially with Tsunoda, but during the race both drivers fall back.
“Tsnoda is certainly very good in qualifying,” Marko starts on a positive note. ‘As a result, RB is in the points in the first stint of the race. However, after that they fall further and further behind, and there is work to be done in that area. They cannot maintain their speed in the race in the long term. Either they put too much strain on the tires or there are other reasons. That’s what we have to find out,” Marko concludes.
