Daniel Ricciardo faces a critical sequence of races after the summer break, with Red Bull evaluating his level of performance at AlphaTauri. His chances of returning to the front have been hotly debated, especially given Sergio Perez’s struggles this year – which have been well-documented in F1 news outlets.
Although the Australian struggled to find his feet at McLaren, issues with adaptation do not appear significant at AlphaTauri. The 34-year-old is relatively close to Yuki Tsunoda, who himself is showing steady progression.
Still, if Ricciardo is to convince Red Bull that he deserves a promotion – or perhaps another year at AlphaTauri – matching or even outperforming his teammate is the obvious place to start.
Liam Lawson is waiting for an opportunity in F1, so there is no shortage of young drivers that could be alternatives to the 8-time winner.
This context seems to have informed Ricciardo’s approach as he explains his preparation for the final ten rounds of the season:
“I’m very excited about racing at Zandvoort, mainly to get the second half of the season going.
“I only got to do the two races before the break. So, even if I enjoyed a bit of time off, I spent most of the past few weeks training and enjoying the chance to keep building up my fitness – to be all set to attack the second half of the season.
“I’ve really enjoyed being back, and the two races with the team have been awesome. Now, I’m very hungry and motivated and feel the way I want to feel.
“That’s why I’m looking forward to kicking off in Zandvoort, which is a very fast track with an awesome atmosphere.”
Considering the persistent difficulties Ricciardo encountered at McLaren, it is clear that a change of scenery is positively impacting his outlook.
As seen this year, Red Bull can be unpredictable with their driver line-ups. Whilst the Austrian team insists Perez is safe for 2024, the Honey Badger can still gain plenty from a strong end to the year.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
