Daniel Ricciardo, in the past five years, has divided more opinion than anyone else on the grid. The Australian went from being a championship contender at Red Bull to being a bystander at Renault and then discarded at McLaren. However, the Australian is using his rare lease on F1 life at AlphaTauri and putting some much-needed respect around his name. This is exactly why Ricciardo, according to some, is pipped to triumph at the upcoming Las Vegas GP.
Ever since his return and then re-return, Ricciardo has given a good account of himself. His Mexican GP still rings bells in a lot of minds with the fans claiming Ricciardo is truly back. However, for Vegas, F1 YouTubers Matt and Tommy have other reasons for his constructive weekend.
Daniel Ricciardo pipped to prevail at the upcoming Las Vegas GP
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The two F1 YouTubers while indulging in the Las Vegas GP guesswork spoke about Ricciardo. The Australian has not only made the AlphaTauri look like a decent car despite the team’s poor start his enthusiasm alone is enough to make him a contender for the weekend, according to them.
Tommy said, “I am going for Daniel Ricciardo. AlphaTauri are really on the up after a dreadful start to the season, barely scoring any points, they could end up finishing seventh in the constructors. Daniel Ricciardo in the last race was incredibly unlucky, had good pace, he was very quick despite obviously the result not showing because started to lap down. He is going to be so pumped for Vegas.”
“He’s good on street tracks as well, he’s won Monaco. I think he’s going to bring his A-game to Vegas,” he concluded.
In fact, he has even gotten rid of the rustiness that he felt during the US Grand Prix after his performance in Mexico. This is exactly why Ricciardo needs to remain patient, something he hasn’t been with history as proof.
Former boss reveals how Daniel Ricciardo’s impatience led him to his decline in F1
Ever since his junior days, Ricciardo carried the massive weight of expectations on his shoulders. Many saw him as a future world champion. However, his career fizzled out once he left Red Bull to join Renault. The Australian could never reach the highs he was capable of and then the less we speak about his McLaren stint the better. This is exactly what the former Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul expressed while discussing Ricciardo recently.
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“He has a timing problem, Ricciardo, all the time: he left us too early, and he left McLaren too early,” said the Renault boss. “I know very well deep down, even if we can’t say to him: ‘Come back next year’, that it was too early.”
In fact, he went as far as saying Ricciardo was a bad signing for Renault at the time just because of the Australian’s prowess and his timing. He added, “Because we are signing a two-year contract, and I knew that it would ultimately highlight the fact that the team was not yet at the required level and that it could potentially be interpreted as a bad decision. Even today I’m divided, but on the other hand, I didn’t get the predictions wrong.”
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WATCH THIS STORY | Daniel Ricciardo’s billion-dollar F1 dream in jeopardy
Now we all agree Ricciardo’s downfall has been heartbreaking to witness. However, how many of us will or can blame the Australian for it? Perhaps some blame is to be shared on his McLaren ousting.