Tsunoda “in a bit of trouble” after Ricciardo’s return to F1
Ricciardo made his sensational return at the Hungarian Grand Prix after Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko decided to ditch Nyck de Vries.
The Australian enjoyed a strong return in Hungary, out-qualifying and out-racing Tsunoda.
At Spa, Tsunoda had the upper hand after Ricciardo invalidated his best lap in qualifying on the Friday.
During the sprint segment, Ricciardo was ahead again of Tsunoda, proving that he had the pace in Belgium.
Priestley - who was a mechanic at McLaren between 1999 and 2009 - has been impressed with how quickly Ricciardo has got up to speed - which is bad news for Tsunoda.
“I actually personally think that he’s in a bit of trouble here,” Priestley told the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast. “Because I think Daniel Ricciardo is actually very, very strong already in that car.
“The only reason Daniel Ricciardo was languishing at the back [in Belgium] was that moment in qualifying where he stepped over track limits and lost his lap time.
“Clearly, that’s his own fault, that was a mistake, but it put him on the back foot and he didn’t manage to get through that train of cars.
“I think you put the two of them next to each other on a clear bit of track in the same car, I think Daniel Ricciardo is showing signs of winning every time and that’s got to be a worry for Tsunoda.
“You know how brutal that Red Bull family can be if you’re not living up to expectations so that’s one to keep an eye on in the second half of the season.”
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
