F1 News: Daniel Ricciardo Optimistic - "I Know It Will Turn Out Well"

Daniel Ricciardo, after a challenging start to the season with three finishes outside the points, remains hopeful for a turnaround. Despite external pressures and his aspirations to join Red Bull, he is focused on improving performance.

Key Takeaways

• Ricciardo's early season performance has not met expectations, with finishes outside the top ten.
• The Australian driver acknowledges the need for improvement and is concentrating on setup changes to gain confidence.
• Despite setbacks, Ricciardo remains optimistic about future races, underlining the importance of staying focused and the belief that results will improve.

Daniel Ricciardo's opening to the 2024 season has not reflected the high standards he sets for himself, with his best finish being 12th place - safely out of the points. These initial performances are far from what one would expect from a driver of Ricciardo's calibre, especially someone who eyes a coveted seat at Red Bull's Sergio Perez. Nevertheless, the Australian, ever the optimist, openly discussed the hurdles he and his team face and the steps they are taking to overcome them.

Despite not scoring points even when opportunities presented themselves, such as the retirements of Max Verstappen and two Mercedes drivers, Ricciardo delved into the challenges at Melbourne and Saudi Arabia, attributing them to difficulties with the car's high-speed performance.

"To be honest, I had a bit of trouble with the high speed in Melbourne and Saudi Arabia. At that last race we saw that we were a bit behind, so we had an explanation for that. But in Melbourne it was still the same that we went less fast compared to Yuki [Tsunoda]. So it is a real search," Ricciardo shared.

The path forward, according to the RB driver, involves a focused collaboration with his engineering team and a strategic approach to car setup that boosts his confidence on the track.

"I think we're mainly focusing on the set-up to give me the confidence. And then it's important that I just keep working with my engineers and that we don't take too many suggestions from outside.

"Of course, I would have liked to get better results in those first few races, I'm not happy with it. It's important now that we stay the course and don't get distracted."

Reflecting on the increased pressure from both Red Bull, specifically Helmut Marko, and himself, Ricciardo remains bolstered by a productive off-season and his readiness to tackle the challenges ahead.

"There is more pressure, yes, but I put it on myself more than anyone else. I had a good winter and was ready to hit the starting blocks. But that hasn't really happened yet and we are three races in. But I know that nothing really needs to change, it will happen. Whatever is missing at the moment, it has to come together and I think we are a weekend away from that."

His analysis of the Melbourne race, despite the disappointment of not earning points, reveals a silver lining in the race pace and the lessons carried forward.

"In Melbourne I was disappointed with the weekend and not taking any points. But when we analyzed the race it wasn't as bad as it probably looked. Our race pace was good and there are some good things we take with us to here. The point is that things will now come together. I said we were also going to do that in Melbourne, but I fell short there. I will do it this weekend."

Aware of the scrutiny from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, Ricciardo reminds us that the season is a long one.

"I know what he expects from me. It's 24 races and it's a long season. If I do two good races now, everyone will forget about the bad ones. But every race that passes is another one... We now have three races and not with the result I wanted and I certainly don't know what he or the team wanted either. We now have to keep focusing on ourselves and not get distracted. I know it will turn out well, I have confidence in that."