Daniel Ricciardo Brutally Honest Over His Performance This Season - 'It Eats At Me A Bit'

Chris Ladd | Aug 27, 2024

May 5, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; RB driver Daniel Ricciardo (3) walks in the paddock before the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo answered questions from the media after the Dutch Grand Prix. Ricciardo admitted to the media that he feels he must "work a bit harder for it these days." He believes that he still has what it takes to remain in F1.

“I do my best to try and stay leveled and just maintain that kind of constant level of confidence and self-belief, but yeah, it does still sway a little bit up and down," Ricciardo added, via Planet F1.

“I know I am getting older and all that stuff, so I know that’s like an easy, probably excuse at times, or an easy kind of viewpoint for maybe some people in the outside, but I know that that’s not it, in terms of I know that some of my inconsistencies, it’s not just, ‘Oh, he’s getting older’.

The Australian driver turned 35 in July and has eight Grand Prix victories and 32 podiums in Formula One. Ricciardo was hoping for a better start to the second half of the season in Zandvoort. It did not start that way for him, as he was furious with himself after a Q1 exit. Race day went far better though as Ricciardo recovered to a solid P12, five positions ahead of team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

“I think I said in Canada, like, it’s true, sometimes I feel like I do have to work a bit harder for it these days. But the disappointment from yesterday [qualifying] is there because I know that this isn’t it, like I know that I’m not losing it, I know that I’ve just got to work a bit harder for it, but I know it’s still there, and so it eats at me a bit.

“But yeah, I still love it and I still care a lot, so I’ll just make sure I put it together and then it’ll all be okay.”

Liam Lawson’s rise within the Red Bull program and the expectation of a full-time Formula 1 seat in 2025 puts significant pressure on the Australian to secure his future in the sport. With Lawson set for either a Red Bull drive or a loan to another team like Williams, Ricciardo's position is under scrutiny, especially since his VCARB seat is the only one not yet locked in for the next season.

Ricciardo has scored 12 points to Tsunoda’s 22 so far in F1 2024, with VCARB sitting P6 in the Constructors' Championship standings. A trip to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix is next on the schedule.