“If He Is Not Damaged Goods”: Daniel Ricciardo’s Shape After Shocking Comeback Becomes Benchmark for Red Bull Prodigy to Impress

Yuki Tsunoda, the driver whose dream is to own a restaurant someday, could race alongside Max Verstappen in Red Bull before he gets around to opening that restaurant. Almost every driver who joins Formula 1 after rising through the Red Bull Academy ranks dreams of racing for the first team. And as much as opening a restaurant is on his bucket list, so is driving for Red Bull. And his chances could be determined by how he performs alongside Daniel Ricciardo for the rest of the season.

Tsunoda joined Formula 1 in 2021 as an AlphaTauri driver. Since then, he’s had two teammates—Pierre Gasly, who comfortably outperformed him, and Nyck De Vries this season, who he comfortably outperformed. There’s no doubt the Japanese driver stepped up his game this season, which contributed to De Vries getting sacked just 10 races into the season. And if he can continue this form throughout the season, maybe even outperform his new teammate, Ricciardo, he could potentially set himself up for the future he wants.

Could Yuki Tsunoda spoil Daniel Ricciardo’s fairytale ending?

It’s no secret Sergio Perez is having an underwhelming season at Red Bull, almost as disappointing as De Vries. His two wins and a few podiums here and there have been his only saving grace. But drivers are gunning for his seat, and Yuki Tsunoda is one of them. Since Ricciardo returned to Red Bull this season as its reserve driver, he expressed his desire to return to the seat alongside Max Verstappen. If Perez’s season doesn’t get any better, Red Bull might want to replace him too, and Tsunoda and Ricciardo could be going head-to-head to claim that seat.

While talking on the Autosport Podcast about Yuki’s performances this year and discussing his season to come, Autosport F1 writer Jake Boxall-Legge said, “Now it’s about the next step because you have this known quantity in the second car. You have Daniel Ricciardo. He’s a race winner, and he’s, of all of Verstappen’s teammates, the one that pushed him the furthest.” Even when Ricciardo didn’t want to stay at Red Bull because he knew he was the second driver, he managed to give Verstappen a run for his money.

Boxall-Legge continued, “If he is [Ricciardo’s] not like damaged goods, given the fallout of the McLaren issue, and he’s back to kind of where he was before, that’s such a good benchmark to have because when it comes to Tsunoda’s future prospects if he beats Ricciardo, he’s putting himself in the best possible window. And that’s just exactly what he needs to do.”

Ricciardo will take the seat alongside Tsunoda at the Hungarian GP next week. All eyes, especially Red Bull’s, will be on the pair to see how they perform against each other. As crucial as the Pirelli tire test was for Ricciardo, his test to compete against the “underestimated” Tsunoda will prove more critical.

Read More: Yuki Tsunoda Claps Back at Max Verstappen’s “Shortest” Insult With 3-Word Response to Set the Record Straight

Helmut Marko warns Daniel Ricciardo of the Yuki Tsunoda threat

Helmut Marko isn’t someone who praises drivers too often. So when he does, you can be sure he didn’t mean it lightly. And as Daniel Ricciardo has come into AlphaTauri, Marko has warned him about Tsunoda, saying, “From Ricciardo, we first have to see how he compares to Tsunoda. I think Yuki is underestimated by a lot of people. The AlphaTauri is not the easiest car to drive, but Yuki has proven that it is possible to get good results.”

The AT04 is arguably the worst car on the grid this season, but Tsunoda has managed to squeeze out a couple of points finishes in the 10 races and finished in 11th place a handful of times. If the rest of the season is a test to see who would do better in the Red Bull, Ricciardo must bring his A-game from the Hungarian GP.

Can Yuki Tsunoda beat Daniel Ricciardo this season?

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