The Australian has endured a tough opening third of the 2024 season, by which his solely factors got here via ending fourth within the Miami Grand Prix dash.
This leaves him 14 factors wanting RB team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who has impressed to date in his fourth season with the group, and this has led to ideas that Ricciardo is perhaps susceptible to shedding his seat to order Liam Lawson.
The Kiwi had impressed in his 5 races as cowl for Ricciardo, when the ex-Crimson Bull driver fractured his hand in a Flip 3 crash at Zandvoort.
RB CEO Peter Bayer lent his help to the Perth-born driver previous to the Monaco Grand Prix, stating that he was completely happy along with his present line-up, however Ricciardo refuted ideas that he was searching for assurance about his future.
“I imply I will be sincere, I have never actually given [contract talks] an excessive amount of,” Ricciardo mentioned. “That is nice to listen to [from Bayer] and sure, that may be superior, however I need to be doing higher constantly.
“The hole [to Tsunoda], possibly we do discover one thing that [explains] that is why I misplaced a bit right here or there. There’ll most likely all the time be one thing. That is F1 and it is by no means good.
Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri VCARB01
Photograph by: Erik Junius
“I am not proud of having these gaps. I believe that is what’s irritating me a bit. Clearly the group has been nice and so they’ve been actually supportive and clearly they know I can do it.
“Nevertheless it’s been a bit extra of a battle this yr to do it week in, week out, and that is actually the place my focus is now versus getting too snug or enthusiastic about what the longer term holds. I need to be doing higher, whether or not that is automobile or me.”
Ricciardo completed twelfth on the Monaco Grand Prix to transform his qualifying outcome, albeit after shedding locations to each Aston Martins throughout the 2 standing begins.
Nonetheless, he admitted that his struggles to affix Tsunoda in Q3 often had been resulting in frustration, and hoped to seek out extra from the VCARB 01 chassis to assist flip his Saturdays round.
“I positively felt good coming into the [Monaco qualifying] session. Clearly two years in the past right here, I struggled with McLaren. I felt rather a lot higher, as an instance this time round, however the actuality is the outcome is not actually that significantly better.
“I need to attempt to take a superb have a look at myself and see what I am lacking after which we’ll have a look at what the automobile can provide me to assist me out.
“I believe the irritating factor is I can do it nevertheless it’s clearly not occurring often sufficient and that is the place I am type of getting annoyed with myself making an attempt to know why it is not constantly week in, week out being a Q3 contender.”
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