Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson wowed the masses with his performances with Alpha Tauri last year. Ricciardo suffered from a wrist injury that saw him sit out for 5 races. Lawson stepped in and was able to score points in his short 5 race stint with the car. A feat Ricciardo had not yet accomplished for the then Alpha Tauri side. In 2023, Alpha Tauri now RB saw a year of disappointment leaving them P8 in the championship race. Despite that finish the RBs are showing glimpses of improvement as they now sit P6 in the constructors championship.
Jody Egginton (Technical Director): After the Australian Grand Prix
“After some frustrations in the first two GP’s, where we showed some positive signs but did not manage to put it all together, it’s very satisfying to have delivered a solid event here at Albert Park, with all of the hard work trackside, in Bicester and Faenza being rewarded with points today. Yuki has been strong all weekend here, finishing the job off with a very mature and confident drive in the race, which is very satisfying to see and something I am sure he is very happy about! Daniel’s weekend has been less straightforward, but credit to him. He has got his head down and worked very hard together with his engineers to get the car more towards his liking.
Although the result does not show it, there are some good signs of progress, which I expect we can start to capitalize on in the next events, with the target of getting him into the fight at the sharp end of the mid-field battle as soon as possible. Looking at the first three events, overall, I feel we are building a solid understanding of our car and are looking forward to the next phase of the season. However, with the midfield being very tight, we will be focused on making each update count and executing weekends like this one to build on this solid result.”
Is Ricciardo Going to Improve?
Daniel Ricciardo has yet to show he still has what it takes to keep his seat at RB. RB has raised concerns with Ricciardo’s lack of performance. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda has scored all of the points for RB thus far in the season. Ricciardo is one of seven drivers who have yet to score points this season. With reserve driver Liam Lawson preparing full time for his next opportunity on the grid. The pressure on Ricciardo to perform is building by the day. Lawson has proven that he can score points in F1 having almost no experience with the car. Ricciardo has had multiple opportunities to shine and those opportunities are starting to run slim.
Helmut Marko is rumored to have given Ricciardo an ultimatum. If his results don’t start improving within the next two races he will be replaced by Lawson.