Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he encountered some “inconsistencies” between his own car and that of his teammate during the recent race in Jeddah.
His performance in Saudi Arabia saw him finish in 16th place, trailing Yuki Tsunoda by 10 seconds, who had incurred a five-second post-race time penalty due to an unsafe release in the pit lane.
The Australian driver, known for his eight grand prix victories, faced a tough weekend on the track. His challenges began with a slow pit stop during an early Safety Car period, causing him to lose three positions.
Furthermore, Ricciardo‘s woes were compounded when he spun late in the race, further hampering his progress.
Reflecting on his struggles in Jeddah, Ricciardo emphasized the significance of car balance issues, particularly in a tightly contested midfield battle. The competitiveness among midfield teams meant that any setbacks, such as those experienced by Ricciardo, could prove to be particularly costly.
“We found some inconsistencies across cars,” he described. “When it’s so tight, especially in our position, you need everything [in order] to try and be there. So that was that.
“In the race, early in the Safety Car period, we had a slow stop. So then it put us at the back, pretty much in a DRS train after that. So then you’re out of position and that kind of made it a very long and tough weekend.”
Ricciardo’s challenges in Jeddah became apparent through his exchanges with race engineer Pierre Hamelin over the radio. At the onset of the race, Ricciardo communicated that his RB was “super-twitchy” and expressed frustration over having “no rear grip.”
In response to Hamelin’s inquiry about the limitations of his car, Ricciardo elaborated, stating that his car felt “very neutral on the way in, and then I lose the front.”
“I’ve just got to watch the rear on exit,” he added. “So a little bit of everything for now.”
Following his spin at turn one during his penultimate lap, Ricciardo conceded that he had taken too much kerb at the apex. Subsequently, after the race concluded with the waving of the chequered flag, Hamelin extended an apology to his driver for the challenging handling of the car throughout the weekend.
“Sorry it’s been so difficult,” Hamelin said to Ricciardo. “We need to do better and we’ll give you better. We’ll work hard on this.”
Addressing the media during the FIA press conference preceding his home grand prix in Melbourne, a circuit he last raced at in 2022, Ricciardo expressed confidence that he would not encounter the same challenges at Albert Park.
“I think everything’s been addressed,” Ricciardo stated. “I’ve been speaking with the team a lot. I was back in the sim as well after Saudi and before heading home.
“I feel like we’ve done everything we can to come here with our best shot and I’m very, very happy that we’re probably 24 hours away from getting in the car.”
