“Enjoy the butterflies, enjoy being nieve, enjoy the nerves, the pressure. If you want to stand on the top from day one, then there’s nothing else to look forward to. Enjoy the process of making a name for yourself, & meeting some great people along the way. There’s a lot of worldly people in this paddock. You can laugh with, learn from, and enjoy moments with, so embrace the good ones. Stay focused, don’t veer too far off your path, I think to keep trying to build & grow & learn from yourself, don’t forget what got you here,” said Daniel Ricciardo when he completed his 200th Grand Prix and a year later he was traded for an Australian rookie, Oscar Piastri, and it looked like the fairytale had come to an abrupt end.

But cut to 2024 where the two Aussies, Daniel, and Oscar will race together in Albert Park. That brings me to a very pressing question: Are Daniel’s days over? Is Piastri Australia’s new darling (read: hope)?

Why is Oscar Piastri a more probable candidate to carry forward the Australian F1 legacy?

 “Piastri is already getting closer… It’s clearly not going to be easy,” said Carlos Sainz, talking about his feelings going into the 2024 campaign. This is noteworthy because only last year the two had an incident on the track where there was a public blame game. Despite the history, Sainz didn’t shy away from declaring that the man who beat Max Verstappen in the Qatar Sprint Race is a clear threat this year as well. To add to that, others have also praised the talents of the driver who became the most sought-after man in 2022.

Talking to Fox Sports Australia and explaining how he reacted as a commentator when Piastri took his first win, David Croft, dearly known as Crofty, stated, “ I am absolutely certain that Oscar Piastri will win multiple Grands Prix in his career. He is something special and Australian F1 fans are gonna be cheering him on to multiple victories in the years to come .”

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Daniel Ricciardo’s Special Home Helmet Livery Makes Way for a Noble Cause

But does Piastri’s arrival mean it is over for Ricciardo? Or is it just his recent decisions and trajectory that have brought him to an impasse with himself as a racing driver?

Daniel Ricciardo is past his best days, Ex F1 Champion

The Land Down Under has produced 2 Formula 1 world champions, Jack Brabham and Alan Jones and the latter’s recent explosive interview has captured all the headlines. From taking a dig at Lewis Hamilton for chasing money (Ferrari move) to say we have seen Ricciardo’s best days, perhaps meaning the Honey Badger has already peaked. But is there any truth to this?

Speaking to Herald Sun, 1980 F1 World Champion, Alan Jones said, “Bad luck, or otherwise, I’m sure Daniel would like to have had better results than what he has had. “He further took a dig at him, saying, “At the end of the day, we can’t be blaming the car all the time, which has been a bit of a tendency in the past. I would love to see Daniel go extremely well in Melbourne. I would like to see Daniel go extremely well, period. But I just think that his luck is going to have to change, or he is going to have to lift his game if he has got any chance of getting back in that Red Bull team or getting back into a more competitive car.”

The warnings didn’t stop there. Jones added, “He is treading water. He really needs to have some very good results and put up a good show. He can’t be dwelling on where he is. I hate to say it, but I think we have seen the best days from him. He has had his bum in a few decent cars, irrespective of what people say. I would love him to become super competitive and be up there challenging in the points, but I just think that maybe a couple of things have got to change before we see that.” He garnished the entire bashing by saying Ricciardo needs to start beating his teammate.

There might be some truth to some parts of Jones’ statements. But being a 34-year-old driver with not a conducive recent past means the driver has peaked? I mean, Fernando Alonso is the biggest example of exactly the opposite.

Looking at these opinions, one can surely conclude that Oscar Piastri is here to stay and create a stir. But it also doesn’t mean that Daniel Ricciardo is old news. The man drove RB19 after a 6-month break from active racing and managed to impress hard taskmasters like Helmut Marko and Christian Horner. To add to that, he has one of the biggest marketing pull in F1, which is a massive consideration and bonus for the team he drives for. And it is not like an 8x GP winner has forgotten racing overnight.

Who is your favorite Australian on the grid? Who do you think will come out on the top?

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of EssentiallySports.