JUST IN :Astonishing details of Ricciardo's F1 COMEBACK revealed

Astonishing details of Ricciardo’s F1 COMEBACK revealed

Daniel Ricciardo’s much-anticipated Formula 1 comeback was meant to reignite his racing career and land him back in a race-winning Red Bull car. However, the reality of his return has been far from the fairytale many hoped for. Ricciardo was initially positioned to replace the struggling Sergio Perez at the end of 2024, but his performance failed to live up to expectations, leading to his mid-season dismissal instead of a triumphant return to the top team.

The roots of Ricciardo’s recent struggles trace back to his time at McLaren. During his stint with the team, he was consistently outperformed by his teammate Lando Norris. Ricciardo himself pointed to his ongoing battle with the car as a major challenge, particularly struggling with corner exits. These difficulties led him to move away from his driving strengths as he tried to adapt to the McLaren MCL36. Despite his best efforts, even McLaren struggled to fully grasp the reasons behind his difficulties, and as the 2022 season unfolded, the gap between Ricciardo and Norris only widened. Ricciardo ultimately finished 85 points behind his teammate, which led to McLaren parting ways with him in favor of rising star Oscar Piastri.

After sitting out the first half of 2023, Ricciardo was handed a second chance with the Red Bull family, a move that seemed to promise a revival of his career. However, even with the Red Bull offer, Ricciardo’s struggles continued. According to Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer, the introduction of a new ‘generation floor’ during the 2023 season finale in Abu Dhabi proved to be a significant obstacle for Ricciardo. The new floor design, aimed at optimizing ground effect aerodynamics, presented challenges that Ricciardo couldn’t overcome, while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda had no such issues adapting.

The issue lay in the way the current generation of cars performed. Ricciardo’s driving style, particularly his signature late-braking maneuvers, no longer seemed to align with the demands of the new cars. While Tsunoda adapted quickly, Ricciardo found himself unable to replicate his previous success. By the start of 2024, it was clear that Ricciardo’s struggles had intensified, with the Japanese driver becoming the main point scorer for Racing Bulls.

Ricciardo’s experience serves as a stark reminder of how quickly the dynamics of Formula 1 can change, and how crucial it is for a driver to adapt to the evolving technology of the sport. For Red Bull, the episode has highlighted the challenges that come with integrating a driver into a car that doesn’t suit their style—a lesson they are unlikely to repeat in the future. Despite the setback, Ricciardo’s career is far from over, but his time with Red Bull has shown just how difficult it can be to regain peak form after a period of decline.