Ricciardo set for China boost after Japan disaster; Ferrari star’s contract conundrum: Pit Talk

The start of Daniel Ricciardo’s season hasn’t gone to plan, and the Aussie is reaching deep into his toolbox to turn the tide.

Before the weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, his qualifying deficit to teammate Yuki Tsunoda had been inexplicably large.

In Suzuka he closed the gap, but an unfortunate first-lap crash meant the effect on his race pace couldn’t be measured.

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The signs of improvement were there, but nothing is being left to chance in the bid to bring the eight-time race winner back to his best, with a major change in play for China.

No such problems best Carlos Sainz, who continued his perfect podium run with another standout drive in Suzuka in a strong run of form the Spaniard hopes will land him a competitive seat for 2025.

Elsewhere, the Australian Grand Prix could be set for changes in 2025, with safety concerns front of mind.

RICCIARDO CHASSIS PLEAD ‘BEFORE WE JUST TELL ME I’M SHIT’

Daniel Ricciardo’s bid to break his slow start to the 2024 season could be boosted by a chassis change scheduled for the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix.

Ricciardo has been outqualified by Yuki Tsunoda 0-4 this season, with an average of 4.75 places separating them on the grid. It’s the third-worst margin in the sport, behind only Lance Stroll and Logan Sargeant.

The Australian has struggled to explain the deficit. In Jeddah he suspected discrepancies with his car, but in Melbourne he admitted he simply couldn’t carry the same speed through the corners as his teammate.

Speaking in Japan, Ricciardo revealed that the prospect of a chassis change had been raised with RB to try to eliminate any doubts about his car.

“That was certainly something I raised the possibility [of],” he said, per Speedcafe. “If we still are struggling, before we just tell me I’m shit, please get that sorted.”

RB has confirmed a chassis change will take place in Shanghai, though racing director Alan Permane said it was already being constructed before Ricciardo’s struggles became apparent, with the timing just a happy coincidence to put the 34-year-old’s mind at ease.

Ricciardo enjoyed much better one-lap pace at Suzuka, qualifying one place and only 0.055 seconds behind Tsunoda.

It was a particularly strong display in the context of Ricciardo getting no meaningful running during Friday practice and having to acclimatise to an upgraded floor in his single hour of pre-qualifying track time on Saturday.

His race unravelled, however, in a first-lap crash with Alex Albon. The team hasn’t said whether any chassis damage was sustained the smash.

He remained optimistic that he could get his year on track in Shanghai.

“It would have been nice to get a race under our belt and try to show a little bit of something that I felt we were starting to show yesterday,” he said, per Autosport. “We’ll do that in China.”

SAINZ WANTS CONTRACT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER

Carlos Sainz hopes his strong start to the 2024 season will speed up his search for a competitive seat next season.

Sainz has stepped onto the podium in every race he’s finished this year, including a sensational victory at the Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari confirmed before the start of the season that Sainz would make way for Lewis Hamilton in 2025, leaving the Spaniard without a contract in one of the busiest driver markets in recent memory.

Up to 13 current drivers are out of contract this season and a handful of young guns are targeting a Formula 1 promotion.

Speaking at the Japanese Grand Prix, the 29-year-old said he hoped his good form would accelerate his search for a new home.

“Obviously it’s time now to speed up a bit everything, and hopefully we can get it sorted sooner rather than later,” he said.

“We’re talking obviously to a few [teams], because that’s what my management team and myself should do when I don’t have a job for next year yet. We’re talking to pretty much all of them.

“It’s just a matter of obviously going more into detail and seeing the more realistic options and what are the best options for me and for my future.”

Sainz’s frontrunning options are limited, however, with only Red Bull Racing and Mercedes thought to be possible alternatives.

RBR principal Christian Horner has hinted he could look outside the pool of drivers backed by Red Bull if he were to replace the out-of-contract Sergio Pérez next season, though the Mexican has started the year strongly.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff appears to have his heart set on F2 young gun Andrea Kimi Antonelli, meaning any other driver would likely receive only a short-term deal effectively to warm the Italian’s future seat.

“I think everyone knows more or less what I’m capable of doing,” Sainz said after winning in Melbourne. “I don’t race to prove to team principals or to prove to people my value. I race to prove to myself that if I’m given a car, I can get it done and I can be up there.

“That’s the mentality and the approach that I have and I will keep having the rest of the year.”

TRACK CHANGES FORESHADOWED FOR NEXT AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

Formula 1 is considering changes to turn 6 at Albert Park after a spate of serious crashes at the high-speed corner in the last two seasons.

Albert Park was significantly reprofiled ahead of the 2022 grand prix, with some corners eliminated and other made wider and significantly faster.

The right-handed turn 6 saw the biggest boost to its minimum speed, increasing by around 70 kilometres per hour after being opened up substantially.

But the rapid bend has triggered several major smashes, including two for Alex Albon in the last two seasons as well as George Russell’s rollover crash in the final laps of this year’s grand prix.

Autosport has reported changes to the corner are being considered to improve safety for the drivers.

Slowing down the corner with a tighter geometry is one option, though that could come at the cost of hampering overtaking at the end of the long back straight.

Introducing asphalt run-off and changing the position and angle of the barriers are also likely to be on the table.

Russell, who is also director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, said he hoped that part of the track could be made safer without changing the corner itself.

“The corner’s amazing, probably one of the best corners on that circuit, so I wouldn’t want to see that corner change,” he said. “But it is true if you hit that wall, you just bounce back into the track.

“It’s not just that corner. I think all circuits that have the barriers in certain positions, if it’s going to propel you back onto the circuit, that’s obviously not good.

“We don’t want to have big runoffs. We don’t want to have tarmac runoffs.

“I think everything is correct. Just the position of that wall, even if it’s closer to the track but in line with the circuit, at least you wouldn’t bounce off into the racing line.”

Albon added that the size of the kerbs should also be reconsidered.

“There’s kind of a double-stepped kerb on the exit, and especially as we have these low cars now … if you go too far across and you hit the second ramp section, it forces the car into the air, so there’s two things that could be done better.”