Around the middle of the 2018 season the Formula One world was stunned when Daniel Ricciardo announced that he was signing for Renault next season. However, none were more surprised that his former team, Red Bull.

The Australian driver was unable to set foot in the car until the pre-season tests began. This was because Red Bull had blocked him from participating in the Abu Dhabi test after the race. But now, he has finally been able to slip on the black and yellow overalls and race for the French team.

Admittedly, things got off to a rocky start with a spectacular crash. As it turned out, his DRS flap had torn itself loose and launched him into an uncontrollable spin. Fortunately for him, things are now under control at the French marquee. However, he is concerned about their pace in the development department.

Speaking to France’s L’Equipe, he said, “Our main goal this year is to finish the season fourth in the constructors’ championship or maybe even higher.”

“But the gap to the top three is significant and it won’t be closed overnight. For that, it is necessary to develop the car more intensively,”

“Talking to Nico Hulkenberg and slowly understanding how the team works, I know that the pace of development last year was lower than expected.”

“We need to figure out what needs to be done to make the car better, but also to ensure that all the necessary updates are implemented as quickly as possible.”

“This will be the key factor on which our ability to close the gap depends.”, he concluded.

Personally speaking, Daniel Ricciardo is right to raise these concerns as the development race never stops. This is because, the team that stops will likely be overtaken by the others.