Time for old dogs of F1 to be put down
FINAL CORNER, CHEQUERED FLAG: It's make or break time for Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the Red Bull family was supposed to be better than this.
The Australian was genuinely one of the most exciting drivers in F1 during his best years of 2014 to 2020.
His exciting, aggressive overtaking style mixed with his frat-boy charm saw him earn a reputation as one of the sport’s most beloved stars.
But the 2021 move to McLaren began the start of a downfall that has left many looking on completely baffled.
At 34-years-of-age, Ricciardo seems to now be past his best with his current stint with the re-branded Toro Rosso (RB) showcasing that it’s not just the strange characteristics of the McLaren that is slowing him down.
Two seasons in papaya raised a lot of questions over his form, with Lando Norris comprehensively beating his more experienced teammate in both years together.
This led to a hefty pay-off from the Woking outfit as they chased his natural successor in fellow Australian Oscar Piastri, who has looked far more comfortable in replacing his countryman.
RB welcomed Ricciardo back with open arms in 2023, giving him a seat in place of Nyck De Vries halfway through the campaign, as well as a seat for 2024.
This was meant to be his pathway back to a return to the main Red Bull team.
The mission was quite simple: perform well and Sergio Perez’s place was his.
Despite leaving Red Bull in 2018, the relationship between Ricciardo and team boss Christian Horner seemingly remained strong, and it was that relationship that boosted his chances of supplanting the Mexican.
There were some positives to take from his 2023 season, which was hindered by a wrist injury that saw him miss multiple Grands Prix.
In particular, his performance in Mexico hinted at a return to form for the honey badger.
However, that is now proving to be a false dawn as the 2024 campaign has gotten off to a horrendous start.
It took team orders and a preferential strategy to finish ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda in Bahrain, and he was soundly beaten in Saudi Arabia as well as his home race in Melbourne.
This has led to some public criticism from Helmut Marko, with some reports even suggesting Ricciardo could be replaced mid-season, much like De Vries was last year.
“There’s a lot at stake this season for both Yuki and Daniel,” wrote Marko.1
“Yuki’s qualifying performance was very good and Ricciardo has to come up with something soon.”
Such a massive fall from grace looks especially peculiar given the form of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, as they continue to excel into their 40s.
Comparing him to two legends may be harsh, but even Nico Hulkenberg at 36 and Perez at 34 are both performing to a higher standard at the moment.
Given Ricciardo had the beating of Hulkenberg during their one season together at Renault in 2019, this highlights that there must be something holding him back now.
Whether it is age, or confidence or something else, he needs to turn it around soon as there should be no shortage of options at RB to come in and replace him in the future.
Liam Lawson, who deputised for him in 2023 should be in the team next year after his solid performances as a substitute.
Even Isack Hadjar should be considered a potential replacement, with the Frenchman staking a claim for an F1 seat with a race victory around Albert Park in F2 last weekend.
At a time when rookies are finding it harder and harder to break into the sport, drivers like Ricciardo need to either shape up or ship out and make room for the next generation.
Ricciardo isn’t the only one potentially holding back younger drivers from a chance in F1, with the likes of Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen both underwhelming in their performances.
These guys have had their time in the sun, and perhaps it’s time for teams to start getting braver.
Oliver Bearman’s substitute appearance for Ferrari in Jeddah only strengthened this idea, as he excelled and earned an impressive seventh place finish on debut with just one hour of practice to prepare himself.
The longer it takes Ricciardo to overtake Bearman in the drivers standings this season, the clearer it will become that it’s time to hang it up.
Prediction corner
It was reported this month that Audi are considering Bottas’ position within the team, as they prepare their driver line-up for their 2026 debut.
I expect both seats to change for the 2025 season, with the Finn and teammate Guanyu Zhou to be shipped out.
Quote of the week
“I mean I’m still jobless for next year, so I guess this will help to get a job for next year,” said Sainz, after his Australian GP win last time out.
Race review - Australia
This Australian Grand Prix had slight shades of the 2010 edition, in which an exciting race re-energised the sport after a dismal Bahrain opener.
It didn’t quite reach the same heights as Jenson Button’s maiden McLaren victory, but it was a nice change of pace to see some variety at the front and some drama in the middle of the pack.
It was certainly a lot better than the two prior races this season, but was still missing a true fight for the lead, with McLaren unable to make a strong enough impression on a controlled Ferrari 1-2. 3/5.
Driver Power Rankings - Australia
It certainly feels weird not including Max Verstappen for once, but his third lap DNF means he hasn’t done enough to justify a spot.
Both Mercedes drivers have also been omitted as Hamilton had a poor performance prior to his mechanical DNF and, while Alonso got the blame from the stewards for George Russell’s clash, the Briton surely must take some of the blame for ending up in the wall at the end once again.
Sainz is an obvious choice at no. 1, but there were also some solid drives from Lando Norris, Piastri, Hulkenberg and Tsunoda.
Bottas did also have solid pace before another pit-stop disaster from Sauber ended any chance of earning points this weekend.
Source: Speed Week