Red Bull told to axe Ricciardo and F1 replacement 'should keep phone charged'

10 April 2024 , 07:54

1231     0

Daniel Ricciardo watches the Japanese Grand Prix from the pit wall after crashing on the first lap (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Daniel Ricciardo "has had his time" in Formula 1, according to one motorsport legend who thinks Red Bull should axe the Aussie.

Ricciardo held onto his seat with sister team RB despite just one points finish in seven outings at the tail end of last year. But, so far this team, he has been comprehensively outperformed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

The Japanese racer has qualified better than his more experienced partner at all four races so far this year. He has also brought home all seven of RB's points so far with Ricciardo yet to break his duck for the campaign.

So in the space of the last month, the 34-year-old has gone from being favourite for a promotion to the main Red Bull team next year to a fight to even keep the seat he currently holds. Especially with highly-rated youngster Liam Lawson waiting in the wings for his first permanent F1 drive.

The New Zealander was at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday and watched as Ricciardo crashed on the first lap after contact with Alex Albon. TV cameras later spotted the Aussie in the RB garage, looking disgruntled, with Lawson stood close by in what could prove to be a foreshadowing moment.

Inside the driver call which upset Red Bull and changed the course of F1 history

World Touring Cars veteran Tom Coronel, also an F1 pundit on Dutch TV, couldn't help but laugh. "Lawson was standing behind looking like, 'Yes, yes'," he said. "If I were him, I'd have my phone charged all the time. Please give the opportunity to someone else - [Ricciardo] has had his time."

Speaking after his brief outing as Suzuka, Ricciardo dismissed the notion that his crash was in any way related to his struggle for form. "I think today is a singular moment, I guess, in terms of, I don't look at today and think, 'Oh man this year, like when it rains, it pours', or whatever," he said.

"I feel it was just one of those things. We know that in 24 races, it's probably likely that maybe I'm involved in another lap one incident. You know, it's just probability and that, so these things can happen. It obviously sucks when they do, but I don't look at it any more than today being a kind of singular incident."

RB plan to give Ricciardo a new chassis for the next race in China, which racing director Alan Permane hopes will help the Aussie find his form. He said: "It makes sense at all levels to give that to Daniel, not least that Yuki is super happy and super comfortable where he is. We don't have a preference on drivers. With Daniel maybe it's good for him to just put that completely to bed, that there any there any issues with the car.

"So I don't see it as being a performance differentiator, and it's certainly not something we want to be hopping drivers in and out of. It's a happy accident that we have one coming, and it doesn't make sense to give it to Yuki. It makes sense to give it to Daniel, but we're not bringing a new chassis because of his issues, to clear about that. It is just that it all kind of fits together."

Daniel Moxon