They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and Daniel Ricciardo will be hoping his Suzuka photo with Liam Lawson isn't a foreshadowing of what's to come.
Ricciardo is auditioning for a return to the first team after enduring a poor start to the 2024 F1 campaign with Red Bull's junior team RB. But for now, it seems more likely that his current seat will be under threat than he will put pressure on Sergio Perez.
Possibly ominous sightings by Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson at Suzuka
Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix suggested that Ricciardo could expect a turnaround at the weekend, as he came within minutes of qualifying for Q3 even if teammate Hiroki Tsunoda was certain to be eliminated.
However, a first-lap accident forced Ricciardo to watch the race from the RB garage, where the camera focused on reserve driver Lawson (who is likely to replace Ricciardo in RB if appointed by Red Bull). , was watching right behind me.
RBs Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson.
After a poor start, Ricciardo ran into a charging Alex Albon in the middle of the opening lap, Ricciardo moved slightly to the racing line and teamed up with Albon, causing both drivers to crash into the barrier.
This was another blow for Ricciardo. Ricciardo is pinning his hopes on the new chassis that will be introduced for the next Chinese Grand Prix. If his performance does not improve, Lawson, who replaced the injured Ricciardo in mid-2023 with five successive starts, will become even more of a threat.
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Looking back on the incident, Ricciardo said it was the medium tires he wore that got him into such a predicament at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix race.
“We were definitely into that medium,” he told the media. “It was strange because the car in front of us seemed to go off the line well.
“It seems that Yuuki and I didn't have as much grip as we expected, and we found that out as soon as we left.” [Valtteri] with bottas [Nico] Hulkenberg ran around dividing us.
“and, [Turn] 1. I was in the middle with Yuki in Alpine. And as I entered Turn 2, I thought: “Okay, let's calm down.”
“And the moment I stepped on the gas pedal, I was still struggling, so I think so.” [Lance] Stroll was on the outside and I was trying to hold him back, but I think Albon was there when I started coming back into Turn 3.
“I was watching him onboard and I didn't even know if he wanted to be there, but his traction on the softs was so much better that he was like, 'Well, until we run out of space. I was like, “There's space.'' I didn't meet him.
“But to be honest, I always wonder if there's someone in Turn 1. I've never tried to use the full width of the track, I had no idea, but there's clearly enough space. I don’t think there was.”
“All things considered, if I could turn back the clock, I would start soft. But just to be clear, I wanted to be in the media. That's not what I fought for. But if the software knew what it knows now, it would have been much better for us.”
Tsunoda took points in 10th place, increasing his and RB's total to 7, with Ricciardo still waiting for his first points of the 2024 season.
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