Marko, Ricciardo, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Superstars

Paddock veteran warns Ricciardo 'NOT WORTH' F1 seat

The Australian has come in for some criticism

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 17 March 2024 18:00

Two Formula 1 veterans have warned Red Bull after their backing of Daniel Ricciardo, following his slow start to the season.

Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri (now VCARB) last season, and performed well enough to keep his place for 2024.

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Red Bull's sister outfit had been hoping to prove that they can stand on their own two feet as a serious competitor, fighting in the upper-midfield.

However, the season has started with two point-less races, with Ricciardo only managing 13th and 16th respectively.

Daniel Ricciardo has struggled to hit form

Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are team-mates

F1 legends provide Ricciardo warning

Despite this, neither have performed particularly well, with F1 legend Eddie Jordan suggesting that Ricciardo may need to focus on trying to stay in the sport beyond the end of this season, rather than any talk of a Red Bull drive.

“I don’t think there’s a more loved personality in F1,” Jordan told the Formula For Success podcast. “Certainly got the best smile I have ever seen in F1.

“He’s a magic guy to have in a team. But that doesn’t give you the right to be the driver in the team and I am just worried that the end of the McLaren era was really something that stood out and I couldn’t see where he’d lost it.

“There’s been nothing since then that convinces me that I would want to invest my hard-earned sponsorship cash to keep Daniel.

“He needs a result more than anyone perhaps,” he added. “He needs to get it together because otherwise he’s going to be replaced. He can understand why he would be replaced because the performances are not just there.

“He shouldn’t be spinning the car, he shouldn’t be putting himself out of sequence in a pit stop. You don't see Max doing that, you don’t see other people doing that. Daniel, as much as we adore him and I think he’s a huge asset for F1, the stopwatch never lies.

“The stopwatch in terms of Daniel, the question marks are out there. When we see people like Oliver Bearman coming like the way he did, people like Daniel will need to look over his shoulder and think ‘how much time do I have left here?'"

Helmut Marko has been with Red Bull since 2005

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko meanwhile, who has had a big influence on the careers of both Tsunoda and Ricciardo, issued somewhat of a warning shot to the so-called 'Honey Badger'.

“A word about the Racing Bulls,” Marko told Speedweek.

“There’s a lot at stake this season for both Yuki and Daniel.

“Yuki’s qualifying performance was very good and Ricciardo has to come up with something soon.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen Daniel Ricciardo Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri Nyck de Vries