Heading into this season, the expectation was {that a} sturdy marketing campaign for Ricciardo would make him the favorite to switch out-of-contract Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen at Purple Bull in 2025.
Nevertheless, the Australian has been outqualified on all three events to date in 2024 by RB team-mate Tsunoda – who additionally pipped him within the one-lap head-to-head in three of the ultimate 5 races of final time period.
Tsunoda, who impressed in Melbourne by qualifying eighth as Ricciardo mustered solely 18th, has, although, hardly ever been thought-about a powerful contender to switch Perez at Purple Bull for subsequent season.
Requested by Motorsport.com whether or not his aggressive begin to 2024 may assist him really seal a Purple Bull seat or would as a substitute do extra to scupper Ricciardo’s probabilities of promotion, Tsunoda mentioned that he was attempting to extend his worth to the entire grid forward of his contract expiring on the finish of the 12 months.
“Hopefully they may take into account it,” Tsunoda mentioned of his Purple Bull prospects. “On the similar time, I do need as a lot as I can to indicate the efficiency even to the opposite groups.
“I simply wish to enhance my worth as a driver [and show] that I can struggle fairly sturdy.
“I do not know what is going on on with Purple Bull, however hopefully they may strongly take into account [me] as effectively.”
Yuki Tsunoda, Visa Money App RB F1 Crew
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos
Tsunoda credited his sturdy efficiency to date in Australia to having a constant automobile within the VCARB-01 challenger.
He mentioned the important thing forward of the GP was to get rid of errors, the Japanese racer having seemingly misplaced his cool within the Bahrain opener over a workforce orders resolution earlier than almost colliding with Ricciardo after the chequered flag.
Tsunoda additionally launched poorly in Saudi Arabia earlier than he was harm by a five-second penalty for an unsafe launch.
“The final two races we had been capable of [get the] efficiency [out] of the automobile,” he mentioned. “Fairly constant round P10.
“I simply preserve doing what I am doing. I feel we simply should put all of it collectively within the race.
“We had just about irritating races the previous couple of races. So now, we simply should deal with ourselves within the race, with out errors.”
Chatting with Austria’s ServusTV, Purple Bull advisor Helmut Marko heaped reward on Tsunoda’s qualifying effort.
“He completed within the prime 10 once more – that was an unimaginable efficiency – he was at all times there, with out errors,” mentioned Marko.
“I hope it is going to now additionally end in factors as a result of the velocity is there. That was additionally the case within the first two races.
“That might be nice, as a result of the highest 5 groups are so sturdy that you simply nonetheless handle to get in, an unimaginable achievement.”
