Formula 1 News: Daniel Ricciardo Says RB Faces Critical Moment with Recent Upgrade Amid Doubts
Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo has expressed concerns about the team’s recent Formula 1 upgrade, stating that it’s a critical moment that could dictate how the rest of their season pans out. The Faenza-based squad introduced a major update at the Spanish Grand Prix, but the changes, including a new floor, rear wing, and bodywork, have left the team struggling for pace and confused about where their problems are coming from.
According to Ricciardo, the recent triple-header has provided an opportunity for the team to isolate which new parts are working and which are troublesome, particularly with elements of the new rear wing causing issues. With a brief respite before the final back-to-back races prior to the summer break, Ricciardo believes that the decisions made now about their next steps will be crucial for the rest of the campaign.
“This could be a real kind of shifting point,” Ricciardo said, emphasizing the importance of understanding their upgrade situation. “What we learn now will basically dictate where our car is in October and November, so it’s a really important period for us.”
Ricciardo, who is reliant on RB’s technical department making the right decisions, acknowledged that it’s essential for him to provide as much information as possible to help them understand what’s happening with the car. “I’m obviously not an engineer and not an aerodynamicist,” he said. “But in these moments, I feel our duty as a driver is to just give as much as we can… to give them as much understanding of why we are where we are at the moment.”
The pressure to get their upgrade situation sorted is heightened by the fact that rival Haas is making successful gains with their car, with back-to-back sixth-placed finishes for Nico Hulkenberg lifting them to within four points of RB for sixth overall in the constructors’ championship. “Definitely Haas the last couple of weekends,” Ricciardo said, when asked about which team had surprised him the most in recent races. “Nico’s scored big two weekends in a row now, and all of a sudden our sixth place in the constructors, the gap isn’t there anymore.”
Ricciardo emphasized the need for RB to not lose momentum on their season, stating that it’s now where the team gets tested. “We know this sport can shift so quickly, and you never rest, and that’s why, in fairness to the team, we brought updates a couple of weeks ago, we were pushing, we’ve been bringing updates every few races, and they’ve [mostly] actually been working really well,” he said. “This one hasn’t as much as certainly we would have wanted. But it’s not due to lack of effort.”
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