RB’s Daniel Ricciardo believes the longevity of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton is proof of his latent potential in Formula 1, despite his struggles in the first half of the 2024 season.
So far, Ricciardo has largely played second fiddle to team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, the resurgent RB establishing itself as a strong midfield contender this season.
Tsunoda’s exploits have somewhat overshadowed his respectable haul of 12 points, the former has 22 and the pair sit 12th and 13th respectively in the driver’s standings.
As questions swirl about the team’s future lineup, and the trajectory of Red Bull’s struggling Sergio Perez, Ricciardo believes he still has what it takes despite his age, pointing to the staying power of Alonso and Hamilton.
“They have proven you can still do it at an older age,” he said of the pair as he reflected on the future of his own career.
He also highlighted moments where he had performed “particularly well, or exceptionally well,” as proof he still has strong performances in his locker.
“I’m not saying that’s enough…,” the Aussie admitted. “But I do put quite a lot of weight on that, especially at this point in my career when people are asking, ‘Does he still have it,? Is he getting on a bit?'”
While he might still have time on his side, Ricciardo conceded that lack of consistency has been a key weakness in 2024.
“What I haven’t done well, I would say, is probably just put it under the consistency bracket.
“Sometimes it’s knowing, sometimes it’s still a bit unknown, but we haven’t been able to just be that consistent Q3 guy, or get the points every weekend.
“So that’s where I haven’t done well – week in week out – and in this sport that could be a big downfall.”
Ricciardo has endured some difficult 2024 outings including retirements in China and Japan and nine finishes outside the points. However, he did bring home top 10 finishes in Belgium, Austria, and Canada, and his fourth position in the Miami sprint race certainly marks the high point of his season so far.
“At least the big results have been big enough where people then say, ‘Oh, he can still put a good lap together’, or, ‘He can put a very, very good lap together’,” he reflected.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is, fortunately, the stopwatch can still be a very good one, and for whatever reason, the consistency hasn’t been there, so I’ve got to sort that part out.
Consistency woes aside, Ricciardo said “I’ve still got it” and challenged himself to “show it more often” in the latter half of the season.
“But I think the it factor, when people question that, at least more than once, I’ve been able to say, ‘Okay, I can do it’,” he remarked. “I’ve just got to sort my s*** out.”
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