Daniel Ricciardo responded with clenched jaw to a remark insinuating he was “past your best.”
Ricciardo found himself at Perth Airport, en route to the upcoming F1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, when the reminder of Alan Jones’ critical comment, Jones being the 1980 F1 champion hailing from Australia, was brought to his attention.
During an interview, Ricciardo was asked; “Alan Jones said that maybe you are past your best. Have you got something to prove in the next few races?”
Ricciardo responded bluntly: “Not at all.”
He then concluded the interview rather abruptly. Ricciardo had earlier been asked if he was anticipating his home race this weekend.
“Very much,” he responded. “I missed it last year. So, getting ready for the week ahead.
“It’s been a steady, I’d say slow, start to the year. But it’s only been two races. Hopefully the season starts on the right foot in Melbourne. That will be the first one to get going.”
At 34 years old, Ricciardo has faced a challenging start to the 2024 F1 season. The RB driver secured a 13th place finish in Bahrain and followed with a 16th place in Saudi Arabia, outcomes that hardly impress Red Bull, his sister team.
Ricciardo had entered the year with hopes of potentially replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull in 2025. However, Perez has already secured two runner-up finishes this season.
In contrast, Ricciardo found himself embroiled in disagreements with teammate Yuki Tsunoda in Bahrain, followed by a significant delay during a 40-second pit stop in Saudi Arabia.
These subpar performances have led critics to question Ricciardo’s future in F1 altogether.
Eddie Jordan offered his comments; “He’s a magic guy to have in a team.
“But that doesn’t give you the right to be the driver in the team and I am just worried that the end of the McLaren era was really something that stood out and I couldn’t see where he’d lost it.
“There’s been nothing since then that convinces me that I would want to invest my hard earned sponsorship cash to keep Daniel.”
