RB Team Principal Laurent Mekies has revealed that it will introduce new updates to its 2024 Formula 1 car designed to help Daniel Ricciardo overcome his struggles.
Ricciardo has endured a challenging start to the current season, with less experienced team-mate Yuki Tsunoda outperforming him across four of the first five rounds.
Tsunoda’s showings have put a dent in Ricciardo’s hopes of earning a return to Red Bull in 2025, with Team Principal Christian Horner stating he needs to “turn heads”.
But a new chassis in China coincided with the Australian being the lead RB driver in China until his race was curtailed when Lance Stroll hit him under the Safety Car.
Mekies asserts that Ricciardo’s improved outing in Shanghai reinforced the team’s credence that the eight-time race winner is on the right track to rediscover his best.
When asked whether it was convinced Ricciardo retained the same potential as it saw in glimpses on his return last term, Mekies told Autosport: “Yeah, absolutely.
“It’s the DNA of our job to try to identify what car set-up is needed for both the car and the drivers to perform at their best, and that is what we are doing with both our drivers.
“We have seen a strong growth from Yuki and we are seeing a Daniel getting back on his trajectory.”
Mekies has disclosed that the Faenza-based squad have some developments in the pipeline that should assist Ricciardo’s adaption to the team’s VCARB 01 charger.
“Already in Saudi, we were starting to say that we were seeing stuff that made us understand how to support him better,” Mekies said. “So yeah, the trajectory is good.
“We have not reached the finish line there and we have a few things mid-term coming to help him feel better in the car and to make sure that our car suits his driving style the best.
“But certainly it will be a good confidence boost to see that there is tangible progress like we saw over [the China] weekend.”
Despite rumours that he could be dropped mid-season, Mekies has hailed Ricciardo’s reaction to his troubles and his endeavours to understand his surprise problems.
“Unlike what is perhaps perceived from the outside, during all this difficult start to the season, he has been very focused, very calm, very rational about it,” he added.
“We looked at the limitations of the car, and what he needed to go faster. Some of the steps you can do quickly, but first you need to understand it.
“Then once you have understood, some of the steps you can act quickly, and some others will take more time.
“We have tried to tick as many boxes as we could, but we certainly don’t stop here.”
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