F1 News: Ricciardo and Tsunoda Stunned by Upgrade Setback As Cars Split For Sprint Weekend

Alex Harrington | Jun 28, 2024

Jun 8, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; RB driver Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) races during FP3 practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports / David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

We've seen time and time gain, teams bring upgrades to a race that simply don't pan out. Aston Martin did it last season, and now such is the scenario for RB as they head into the Austrian Grand Prix with a strategy that seems as much an experiment as a calculated risk. This approach comes on the heels of an underwhelming performance at the Barcelona race, where drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda struggled with the newly introduced changes, resulting in disappointing early exits and poor performance.

The technical troubles in Barcelona have led to a cautious yet innovative strategy for the upcoming race weekend. RB plans to continue testing their VCARB 01's controversial upgrade during the initial practice sessions. Ricciardo, sharing insights into the team's thinking, stated:

"There are still some questions for sure. But are we convinced that the upgrade is a flop? No, we’re not. So Yuki and I are going to start with different set-ups. It’s a combination of kind of everything because we’re still trying to figure it out.”

The strategy for Austria involves a split-setup experiment where Ricciardo and Tsunoda will drive cars with differing configurations. This method will combine various "old bits" and "new-new bits," enabling the team to cross-analyze data from varied setups to pinpoint effective solutions. Ricciardo elaborated on their experimental approach:

“We’re not chucking anything in the bin yet. But there is still no firm conclusions, I would say. It’s a bit harder on a Sprint, but we have to keep trying to plug away at it.”

Yuki Tsunoda mirrored this sentiment, emphasizing the urgency to understand the nuances of the upgrade:

“So, we’re going to test for sure, as a team across the cars, and even though we knew that it’s going you to be a Sprint qualifying race. We wanted to know these answers as soon as possible, with comparing the cars.”

The rationale behind this method is to maximize learnings from Friday’s practices, which Ricciardo hopes will guide their setup for the Sprint qualifying:

“We’ll start different tomorrow morning and then hopefully learn a bit from practice, and then merge for the Sprint quali.”

The outcomes of these tests are more than just adjustments for one race; they will critically influence the team’s future direction. With cutting-edge components at stake, the data gathered during the Austrian Grand Prix could very well dictate the evolutionary path of the VCARB 01's design and functionality.

This weekend will not only test the mettle of RB's upgrades but also determine if the direction chosen is a breakthrough or a setback in this hyper-competitive arena of regulations.