Daniel Ricciardo qualified for the Australian Grand Prix but was puzzled after his best lap this year failed to match that of Yuki Tsunoda. Ricciardo violated a track limit and got eliminated in Q1. The Red Bull driver was a tenth slower than Tsunoda, his teammate. The Stewards deleted his lap after running wide in the Turn 4 left-hander when he drove inside the kerb.
Daniel Ricciardo Is Worried
![Daniel Ricciardo in Melbourne](https://totalapexsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gettyimages-2106018892-612x612-1.jpg)
Ricciardo’s speed didn’t let him make a perfect high-speed Turn 9/10 left/right sweep. He stated after the qualifying session in Melbourne that he wouldn’t match Tsunoda despite the track improving. The latter proceeded to Q2 in eighth position.
Red Bull is under pressure now after Sergio Perez’s penalty and Helmut Marko’s remarks on Ricciardo’s deteriorating performance. Ricciardo hasn’t had a good start this season. He took more kerb at Turn 4 and forgot it at Turn 5.
Pierre Hamelin, Ricciardo’s race engineer informed him that the Stewards had deleted his lap. Ricciardo took a while to understand the shocking report since he believed he had performed well in it. The driver later realized that his performance was incomparable to that of Tsunoda.
He stated he couldn’t get seven more tenths in Q2 than what he had in Q1. Ricciardo claims that the track is evolving and he has to review some things as he has struggled a lot of late.
Ricciardo’s Team Made Certain Changes
![Ricciardo competes in Australia](https://totalapexsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gettyimages-2106018885-612x612-1.jpg)
Daniel Ricciardo wants his vehicle to get assessed to determine what caused the deficit during the qualifying session. He made a similar comment in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. His team discovered some issues in the car which had limited its performance. Nevertheless, they weren’t sufficient to associate Ricciardo’s deficit to his teammate.
The Red Bull driver felt the car’s limit in the recent session and wants his team to perform thorough checks. He is certain his car isn’t performing as it should. Ricciardo had the same worries in the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix when he hit his first McLaren stint’s brink. His car’s problems greatly reduced his pace. Surprisingly, his team checked it and found that his mode of driving caused the challenges.
What McLaren Found About Daniel Ricciardo After Monaco Prix
![The Red Bull racer](https://totalapexsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gettyimages-2105983720-612x612-1.jpg)
Daniel Ricciardo is certain that the Monaco Prix’s incident recurred in Melbourne. Yet, he has fewer chances of regaining his best form in F1 since he returned to the race in 2023 with Scuderia AlphaTauri.
Even so, Ricciardo denies being in the same spot as McLaren as he enjoys driving his car. He said that the lap was his best quality lap in 2024 even though the Stewards deleted the time. The Red Bull racer is confident in his balancing and braking skills.
Also Read: Red Bull Driver’s Penalty Changes The Australian Grand Prix Qualifying Result
Read more from Edward and other great writers! Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we do several shows daily. Make sure you follow us on NewsBreak as well.