Australian superstar Daniel Ricciardo has failed to score points in his last six Formula 1 races, in an unwanted record that extends to the final three Grand Prix events of the 2023 season. So what’s going wrong for Ricciardo at VCARB… and do Australian F1 fans need to accept he’s just not the same driver he once was?
Daniel Ricciardo started the 2024 Australian Grand Prix from the back of the grid on Sunday. The Australian driver, racing here in Melbourne for the first time in two years, admitted that he hoped this weekend would be the springboard to propel him and the team up the standings, entering the qualifying stages with an expected optimism in front of yet another sold-out crowd at Albert Park.
But the VCARB driver was left stunned after an electric qualifying lap was cancelled for exceeding track limits at turn four. So, for the first time in his career, Ricciardo exited the Australian Grand Prix qualifying stages in Q1, and was forced to start his home race in P18.
In an action-packed race that saw perennial champion Max Verstappen bow out of the Grand Prix with a brake issue early on, Ricciardo was able to climb six places to finish in P12, narrowly missing out on the points.
The Australian driver was racing for Visa Cash App Red Bull in Melbourne for the first time since 2013 and could’ve finished as high as P11 had it not been for a virtual safety car during the final lap.
“I definitely believe I can do it,” Ricciardo professed after the Australian Grand Prix. “I wouldn’t say there’s any panic. I would’ve loved this season to have started better but we’ll just keep digging.”
It was a valiant effort from Ricciardo, but ultimately, it is always going to be an uphill battle when you start the race with 17 drivers ahead of you, and after failing to score points for a third consecutive race, question marks are bound to surface regarding Ricciardo’s ability to regain his lost form and take that coveted Red Bull seat in 2025.