- Ricciardo is baffled by the difference in pace between him and Tsunoda
- The Australian feels like he is taking everything out of his car.
- He says the car runs fine, but lap time is a constant problem
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Daniel Ricciardo has spoken about his 2024 F1 season after suffering his worst qualifying result at the Australian Grand Prix, being knocked out of Q1 for the first time at Albert Park.
The Australian had completed what appeared to be a key final lap to advance to Q2 before the stewards erased that time because they deemed Ricciardo exceeded the track limits at Turn 5.
The eliminated lap time would have put Ricciardo in the top 10 and would have been enough to advance to Q2.
However, the stewards’ call means that Ricciardo will not progress to Q2 and will start on the back row of the grid due to his second-fastest time, leaving the Australian in 18th position.
Ricciardo was dejected on Saturday afternoon and “bewildered” by the pace difference between him and teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Ricciardo is ‘baffled’ by the difference in pace between him and teammate Yuki Tsunoda
Australian F1 star qualified 18th, his worst Albert Park performance
“I felt like I got everything out of it, and then when I saw that I still wasn’t good enough, let’s say compared to Yuki, that for me is… yeah, I’m still a little bit taken aback,” he told the media. . .
“Because I know what those laps usually mean, and I crossed the line saying, ‘yeah, that was a good one,’ but those are usually enough, more than enough, and it still isn’t.”
“And then looking at the time he’s doing in Q2, I could tell you that I can’t get seven tenths more than what I got in Q1.”
“So I’m sure there’s a little bit of track evo (evolution), but honestly, there’s still some things we have to look at, because it’s definitely been a struggle so far.”
Ricciardo explained that the changes to his car after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix looked promising, but lap times remain an issue.
“It seemed like it was better, but I’m still not completely convinced,” he said. “As I said, we still feel like we are suffering more than normal in a car that I am again quite happy with.” .
“It was actually quite a pleasant car to drive. Only the lap time proves otherwise.”
Ricciardo said recent adjustments to the car look promising, but he is still off the pace.
Ricciardo said he feels like he’s getting everything out of his car, but it’s still not enough
Meanwhile, Australia’s rising star Oscar Piastri will start Sunday’s race from sixth after an impressive qualifying session for McLaren.
“Exciting,” Piastri said.
‘It’s been a good weekend so far. We have good momentum. Let’s see what we can do.”
Max Verstappen has his sights set on a third consecutive victory to open 2024, with the defending Formula One world champion taking pole for the Australian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull superstar swept Saturday’s qualifying as he looks to back up last year’s race victory at Albert Park.
Verstappen took the 35th pole of his career, finishing ahead of resurgent Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.