Daniel Ricciardo must improve rapidly or risk going into Formula 1 exile

Following yet another underwhelming performance, questions are beginning to mount over Daniel Ricciardo’s future in Formula One.

Daniel Ricciardo’s future in the sport is looking perilous. Picture: Peter Fox/Getty Images

The Formula One circus has packed up and rolled out of Melbourne for another year, leaving more questions than answers about how much longer Australia’s favourite driver will remain under the big top.

In a sport where everything happens at high speed, the fate of Daniel Ricciardo’s continuation in motor racing’s elite, premier championship is taking place at a snail’s pace.

He’s already survived one sacking from McLaren after getting thrown a lifeline by RB but speculation is mounting that Ricciardo’s days are numbered this time.

An eternal half-glass full type of bloke, the West Australian is still clinging to the hope he can snag a seat in one of the top teams next year but that’s looking increasingly unlikely as he struggles to make an impression in the underperforming RB.

Daniel Ricciardo remains a crowd favourite in Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

If no-one else, Carlos Sainz remains well ahead of him on every team’s wish list after winning Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix for a Ferrari team that has already told him to start looking for a new job in 2025.

Despite the rumours and conjecture, nothing about Ricciardo’s future has been decided yet – and probably won’t be until much later in the season.

But the bleak scenario facing the Honey Badger is that he’s rapidly approaching his last lap in the cutthroat world of F1.

Importantly, for now, he’s still got the public support of his team bosses, particularly Christian Horner, but the unanswered question that won’t go away is whether Ricciardo’s next visit to the Australian Grand Prix in 2025 will be as a driver or a VIP guest.

Daniel Ricciardo finished 12th at the Australian Grand Prix. Picture: AFP

Although he’s not the oldest man on the grid – Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg were all born before him – at 34, Ricciardo’s age is starting to count against him because he’s now one of the senior citizens under siege from the new breed of fearless, young drivers breaking into the sport.

One of these is Yuki Tsunoda, his Japanese teammate at RB.

Tsunoda is 11 years younger than the Australian and has never finished better than fourth in a Grand Prix, but he’s been driving rings around Ricciardo this season, beating him in each of the first three races in 2024.

That’s a real problem for Ricciardo and if he really wants to retain his seat next year, he needs to change that, starting right away, but the omens are not great.

Daniel Ricciardo is coming under pressure from his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Picture: Getty Images

The next race is in Tsunoda’s homeland, in less than a fortnight, at a Suzuka track which has not been kind to Ricciardo.

In his 10 previous appearances at the Japanese Grand Prix, Ricciardo has finished on the podium just once. In 2019, in his first year with Renault, he was disqualified for using an illegal braking aid.

Ricciardo’s 12th place finish at Albert Park this weekend was an encouraging performance but he’ll need to start banking some points soon if he wants to stick around next year.

The Australian Grand Prix did provide some brighter news and clarity around Australia’s emerging F1 star, Oscar Piastri.

The 22-year-old finished fourth, behind Sainz and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, and his own McLaren sidekick Lando Norris.

Oscar Piastri is getting closer to his first Grand Prix win. Picture: AFP

Piastri was helped by Max Verstappen’s early retirement but still managed to hold his track position ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, suggesting the McLarens are much closer to the top two teams than they were last year.

He will need some luck, but if he stays on the same upward trajectory he’s been on since making his F1 debut last year, Piastri’s first Grand Prix win may not be that far away.

Unlike Ricciardo, the Japanese Grand Prix should suit Piastri. Last year, he qualified on the front row then finished third in the race, claiming his first podium.

It’s still early days, but McLaren already look to have a pace and reliability advantage over Mercedes, who had a nightmare weekend in Melbourne, with Lewis Hamilton retiring early because of a power unit failure and George Russell crashing on the last lap.

Ferrari and Red Bull still have more outright speed than the McLarens but with mechanical problems inevitable over such a long season, this could turn out to be a breakout season for at least one Aussie.

Originally published as Daniel Ricciardo must improve rapidly or risk going into Formula 1 exile