F1 News: ‘Daniel Ricciardo is so finished’ - Pressure mounts on RB star after BIG Japanese GP crash

Daniel Ricciardo, VCARB, Visa, RB, Japan, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Japanese Grand Prix

‘Ricciardo is so finished’ - Pressure mounts on RB star after BIG Japanese GP crash

Daniel Ricciardo under pressure after retiring early from the Japanese Grand Prix

Shay Rogers

Sunday 7 April 2024 21:57

Pressure continues to mount on Daniel Ricciardo after a torrid start to the 2024 Formula 1 season, which he entered with high hopes of securing a Red Bull seat for next year.

The Visa Cash App RB driver retired from the Japanese Grand Prix on lap one after a monster shunt with Alex Albon at turn three.

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Both drivers were ok, but their cars suffered major damage and a red flag was forced in order to allow time for repairs to the barrier which had been opened up by the smash.

It comes at a pretty bad time for Ricciardo, who was just starting to build some momentum and show some impressive pace following a slow start to the season.

Daniel Ricciardo retired on lap one of the Japanese GP

Daniel Ricciardo is making a full-time return to F1 in 2024

Where does this leave Daniel Ricciardo?

He was less than a tenth of a second from making Q3 in qualifying after having one true practice session to prepare, but was pipped by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in the final seconds of Q2.

His retirement means that Tsunoda is now 4-0 up against him in both the qualifying and race head-to-heads.

Time is running out for Ricciardo to make a significant impact and he risks getting bogged down by a lot of negativity after a poor run of results.

The ‘Honey Badger’ is now drawing criticism from fans, who aren’t in support of his Formula 1 comeback story and how it has panned out for him so far.

daniel ricciardo is so cooked
— isaiah✰ (@tlop444) April 7, 2024

Another fan made this Ferrari-themed graphic to highlight the Aussie's struggles.

An inspirational message for Ricciardo during this tough time 💜 pic.twitter.com/gbBUEuTdhb
— Buc Nasty 🏁 (@premystic) April 6, 2024

Someone else pointed out that Liam Lawson - who lurks in the VCARB wings for an F1 seat, appeared again on screen after Ricciardo crashed.

- ricciardo makes a mistake
- camera cuts to liam lawson

broadcast director: pic.twitter.com/942Dhh9xMW
— noelle faulkner (@noelleflamingo) April 6, 2024

And finally, not everyone agrees with the harsh criticism of the eight-time race winner.

Blaming Ricciardo for that is insane like what’s he supposed to do? Just brake in the middle of the track to let Stroll and Albon pass?
— Rhys 🇦🇺❗️ (@SulloReport) April 7, 2024