What's Next For Daniel Ricciardo?

The paddock felt empty when the Aussie left the sport at the end of 2022 after a lackluster couple of years at McLaren.

But with his new stint at Visa Cash app Racing Bulls (once Alpha Tauri) and a contract expiring at the end of this season, his seat is coming into question once again, bringing up the question, What's next for Daniel Ricciardo?

The Replacement of Nyck De Vries

Nyck De Vries didn't have the easiest time at the once called Alpha Tauri.

With his highest position of 12th over 10 races, Red Bull was searching for a replacement instead of giving Nyck more time to adjust to the F1 car.

The controversial Christian Horner seemed to be the driving force behind wanting Ricciardo back in the car. Since getting back in the car, Daniel has performed better than Nyck, with fewer DNFs' and a more competitive pace, but his results seem to be dwindling.

Many fear this is due to Daniel's history repeating itself with setup issues and not understanding what's happening with the car.

At McLaren, Ricciardo made it very vocal that he and the car just didn't seem to understand one another, and yet again at RB, we are starting to hear the same sentiments.

With only three races down and this much talk and question surrounding his results, it isn't looking good for the Aussie.

The gaps in time haven't been too large between him and Yuki Tsunoda, but what's most concerning is Ricciardo's constant talk of being surprised and confused with his own results.

"Look at the time he's doing... I can't get seven more tenths out of it"- Daniel speaking about Yuki on track post-Australian Qualifying.

Not to mention this frustration in Australia led the team to put in a full new set of engine components after the Qualifying to see if this improved his pace, which it did not.

Has Daniel met his match?

I can't decide whether Daniel is confused or surprised by the car or how well Tsunoda is doing. Maybe he expected Yuki to be an easy teammate to beat and someone he wouldn't really have to worry about.

I think Yuki has finally started to take that step up, proving himself to be worthy of another contract in Formula 1.

With thirteen drivers having their contracts up at the end of the 2024 season, Yuki is also in that bracket.

If he keeps up the pace, he could prove he deserves to have his contract extended or even move to a different team.

Although this is looking great for Yuki, it is dampening Daniel's experience and ability in F1.

Everyone expected him to have no issues giving Tsunoda a run for his money, but it seems the tables have turned unexpectedly...

Is Ricciardo's time up in F1? Time for a rookie instead?

Respected figures in the F1 world are even starting to believe Ricciardo's career has reached its peak and is only going to worsen from here.

The 1996 world champion Damon Hill made his opinions clear about the situation on the F1 Nations Podcast.

“He never felt comfortable in McLaren – he was hunting all the time for setup – and the same story is coming out now from the RB. There’s only so many times you can do that.”- Damon Hill

Frankly, I agree with Damon. Time and time again, F1 fans and pundits discuss how we need to make room for younger talent and how their careers fade so much quicker as they are never given that spotlight or chance to compete in the higher leagues.

Maybe it's time to give a chance to younger talent instead of trying to make something work that clearly isn't. Daniel had his time; now it's time for someone else to take the spotlight.

A younger driver won't be worrying too much about setup; they will simply get on with the task at hand and try to make it work with what they have.

We witnessed this with Ollie Bearman this season at Jeddah.

Ollie had issues with the clutch control on Carlos Sainz's car, as he was used to simulator tests on Leclercs, but he still managed to finish in P7.

Ferrari does have a far better car than RB, but you can't deny Bearman's impressive skill to pull off a P7 finish.

The common consensus is that Ricciardo is too "fussy" now when it comes to set-up. Instead of trying to adjust to the car, he keeps trying to change it, which is why many are looking for a rookie to take his place.

Of course, theres only so much as onlookers can see.

Maybe changing the setup is making slight differences that are helping, but you can't help but see how it looks like we are back at square one.

The Rumoured Ultimatum

News has been swirling around the paddock that Daniel Ricciardo will be replaced by Liam Lawson in Miami if his results don't pick up by May.

" Yuki qualifying was very good and Ricciardo will have to come up with something soon"- Helmut Marko

Although it is rumoured, we only have to look back at last season to see how quickly Nyck De Vries was replaced after not living up to his expectations, and I fear Daniel is in this danger zone.

Helmut Marko is known for his brutal honesty, and it has been clear that Daniel is not living up to his expectations, especially since Marko wanted Liam Lawson to have Ricciardo's seat.

I don't think the Red Bull family will kick Daniel off the grid so quickly.

His popularity and years of experience make the team give him more of a chance of redemption than a rookie would.

After seeing Daniel do testing for Red Bull towards the end of 2023, it made me and others think this was his chance to come back fighting and potentially be side by side with Max Verstappen. This now, however, feels like a fever dream.

Conclusion

Daniel Ricciardo is in the danger zone of losing yet another seat, and I'm sure he knows this feeling all too well.

It's a shame to see the Aussie not being on top of his game as we all expected him to be. I think what's shocking fans is how Yuki is ahead of him and seems so comfortable in the RB.

Daniel hasn't been in that team as long as Yuki, and maybe with time he too will understand the car and get the best out of it.

But only time will tell.