Daniel Ricciardo F1 News: Red Bull chief aims fresh dig at RB star

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

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Red Bull chief FUELS Ricciardo criticism in brutally honest put-down

The Australian has been subject to intense criticism of late

Rhys Thomas

Tuesday 11 June 2024 21:58 Updated: 11:40

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Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has added to the scrutiny on Daniel Ricciardo with a strong ruling on the situation at Visa Cash App RB.

Ricciardo has lacked consistency since re-entering the sport with VCARB, scoring his only points of the season in the Miami Grand Prix sprint.

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His team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, has racked up 19 points so far in 2024, and out-qualified Ricciardo seven to two this season.

As a result of that fine form, the team recently announced that they have opted to activate a clause to extend the Japanese driver's contract into 2025.

Daniel Ricciardo has been inconsistent since his F1 return

Yuki Tsunoda's contract was recently extended

What did Helmut Marko say about Daniel Ricciardo?

Whilst Tsunoda has been getting positive headlines of late, Ricciardo came under intense scrutiny going into the Canadian GP weekend, most notably from 1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve, whose no-filter criticism attracted attention.

When discussing Tsunoda's new deal, Marko could not resist a subtle but brutally honest dig at the Aussie.

"He [Tsunoda] performs consistently well and his personal behaviour has also developed enormously," Marko told Sky Germany.

"He has got his emotions under control. His physical stature is now such that he can complete a race without any problems.

Helmut Marko is a prominent figure within Red Bull

"It was actually quite clear, he was one of our first Japanese juniors and he gradually improved. A little too slow in the beginning but now he is one of the most sought-after drivers on the market."

Later in the interview, Marko added: "He [Tsunoda] is now a complete driver and has proven compared to Ricciardo that he is the faster and better man."

Ricciardo's current contract with RB runs until the end of the 2024 season.