Daniel Ricciardo warned: ‘That’s the battle for his future’ after Yuki Tsunoda stars
Daniel Ricciardo has been warned that the "battle for his future" is with Yuki Tsunoda after the pair had contrasting Sundays in Miami.
Daniel Ricciardo has been told to “pick himself up” as he fights for his “future in the sport” against RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
This weekend was mixed fortunes for Ricciardo as he started off well by finishing fourth in the sprint race.
Fast forward to the main part of the weekend, he was knocked out in Q1 before enduring an anonymous race.
On the other hand, teammate Tsunoda starred as he qualified in the top 10, and then finished seventh in the race, beating Mercedes’ George Russell.
While there have been signs of progress for Ricciardo, it wasn’t a perfect weekend for the Australian.
Analysing his weekend, 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button felt that Ricciardo was ultimately overshadowed by Tsunoda despite his impressive sprint race performance.
“The problem for Daniel is that he’s going to be looking where his teammate finished,” Button said. “That’s the battle at the moment. That’s the battle for the future. People will forget that - they will remember the result.
“That’s the problem. He will need to pick himself up and get a great result. That’s the battle that’s important for him right now for his future in the sport.”
Former IndyCar star Danica Patrick advised Ricciardo to focus on the positives from this weekend.
“You’re only as good as your last race as a driver,” she said. “He’s going to be down and wish it could have been different for today because that’s what he's going to be thinking about to make it better. That’s the challenge.
“Especially he will come away talking to the team, talking about what can you make it better. I hope he remembers he had an incredible Saturday, defending Carlos to hold him off for the whole time in the sprint to finish fourth. What a high. That was impressive.”
Tsunoda's P7 finish means he moves ahead of Lance Stroll in the drivers' championship and into 10th overall.
Button acknowledged Tsunoda's improved consistency in 2024.
“He’s been a lot more consistent." he added. "He’s still fiery, he’s Yuki. He’s been a lot more consistent. That was a really impressive race, seventh ahead of a Mercedes. That shows the pace of the car but also Yuki.”
