F1 News: ‘Daniel Ricciardo is so finished’ - Pressure mounts on F1 star after MAJOR Japanese GP accident

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

Japanese Grand Prix

‘Ricciardo is so finished’ - Pressure mounts on F1 star after MAJOR Japanese GP accident

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

Originally written by Shay Rogers. This version is a translation.

Sunday 7 April 2024 23:00

Daniel Ricciardo faces an uphill battle as he continues to struggle so far in the 2024 Formula 1 season.

The Australian driver retired on lap one of the Japanese Grand Prix after tangling with Williams' Alex Albon.

Article continues under video

Both drivers were ok, but their cars suffered major damage and a red flag was forced to enable 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?

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 him 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