Daniel Ricciardo F1 RETURN assessed as insiders make conflicting claims

Daniel Ricciardo in Zandvoort — Photo: © IMAGO

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Ricciardo F1 RETURN assessed as insiders make conflicting claims

Daniel Ricciardo attempts at a F1 comeback analysised

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 31 January 2025 23:00

When Daniel Ricciardo returned to Formula 1 in 2023 with the Red Bull family, his career was supposed to reignite. The opposite happened.

But what really went wrong for the Australian driver? Below, we've assessed how he went from potential Sergio Perez replacement to out of the sport.

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Ricciardo was perfectly poised to replace a struggling Perez in 2024, with the Mexican driver ultimately axed at the end of the season.

However, Ricciardo failed to demonstrate the same pace he displayed in his early Red Bull years, and found himself receiving a brutal mid-season axe instead of a fairytale return to the main team.

Daniel Ricciardo failed to make a full-time return to Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo was axed after the Singapore GP

Why did Ricciardo fail to make a F1 comeback?

Ricciardo’s initial decline can be traced back to his time at McLaren, where he was bested by former team-mate Lando Norris.

The 35-year-old pinpointed his constant battle with the car as his main weakness, struggling on the corner exits and moving away from his own strengths as a driver as he tried to tackle the MCL36.

Even the team failed to comprehend his struggles, but the significant updates brought to the 2022 Spanish GP really exposed the gulf between Ricciardo and his team-mate Norris.

The gap between the pair widened, and Ricciardo ended up finishing 85 points behind the Brit, prompting McLaren to replace him with Oscar Piastri.

Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed one win in an otherwise difficult McLaren career

After sitting out the first half of 2023, Ricciardo was offered a career lifeline when he returned to the Red Bull family.

However, the root of Ricciardo's future struggles were introduced during the 2023 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Racing Bulls' CEO, Peter Bayer, identified the ‘new generation floor’, brought about by the ground effect rules, as a major issue for Ricciardo, whilst Yuki Tsunoda had no problem with these changes.

In fact, it was the Japanese driver who achieved Racing Bulls’ major haul of points in 2024, as it became clear the current generation of cars did not suit Ricciardo’s driving style, with the Aussie unable to rely on the late braking maneuvers he had become renowned for.

Yuki Tsunoda did not encounter the same issues as Daniel Ricciardo in 2024

Former Red Bull driver, David Coulthard, was less convinced that Ricciardo’s decline was purely a result of the ground effect era, and added that the best drivers can overcome a car that does not suit them.

Furthermore, Ricciardo had simply passed the peak of abilities by 2024 and at 35 of age, with younger drivers such as Franco Colapinto and Ollie Bearman all able to offer strong performance on their F1 debuts.

Ricciardo’s former colleague at RB, Alan Permane, named multiple factors for his downfall, such as Ricciardo's concerns over the tyres, or the fact he was overthinking things in comparison to Tsunoda, but failed to conclude on an overall reason for his difficulties.

However, Ricciardo’s failure to adapt in 2024 has also served as a warning to Red Bull that they will not ignore again.

If the team had been more decisive over Ricciardo's and Perez's future, and trusted in the ability of their younger drivers, the 2024 season may have resulted in a stronger outcome in the constructors' championship.

Red Bull Max Verstappen Formula 1 Daniel Ricciardo Sergio Perez David Coulthard