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F1 Rumor: Daniel Ricciardo “Most at Risk” of Getting Fired by Christian Horner & Co.

Published 04/16/2024, 7:57 AM EDT

Remember the heartbreak that all F1 fans had to go through when Daniel Ricciardo was sacked by McLaren and the Australian was left without a seat for the 2023 season? Regardless, Ricciardo made his way back to F1 with Red Bull’s sister team. But another big heartbreak might be on the way for the F1 fans as Daniel Ricciardo is the driver at the most risk of getting fired by Christian Horner and Co.

Nyck De Vries was the casualty of Daniel Ricciardo’s return to F1. After only half a season with AlphaTauri, the Dutchman was replaced by the Veteran Australian driver. However, Ricciardo then met with an unfortunate accident at Zandvoort and was then replaced by Liam Lawson for a couple of races. The rookie Lawson impressed everyone in the paddock but was sidelined after Ricciardo made his comeback.

But the Honey Badger hasn’t been or looked the same since he retired. Just looking at his stats from the current season, Ricciardo hasn’t been able to beat his teammate on most occasions and has 0 points to his name. Compare it with Yuki Tsunoda, who has 7 points and some wonderful performances. The Australian is in urgent need to find something magical and improve his performance. And now, Andrew Benson has come out to suggest that Ricciardo is at the risk of being fired.

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According to BBC, Andrew Benson, when asked if he expects any mid-season changes, said, “This can happen any season in F1 and the people most at risk at the moment are Daniel Ricciardo at RB and Logan Sargeant at Williams. Ricciardo has had a difficult start to the season and Red Bull are notoriously unforgiving with their drivers.”

Talking about Lawson replacing Ricciardo mid-season, Benson added “Since returning to F1 midway through last year, the Australian has gone from being talked about as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez at the senior team, to apparently being at risk of being dropped in favor of reserve driver Liam Lawson at the junior outfit. If Ricciardo’s performances don’t improve soon, the pressure on him – already high – will become intense. No one would be surprised if Lawson was in the car sooner or later in that scenario.”

Looks like Daniel Ricciardo needs to buckle up and outperform Yuki Tsunoda, at least to keep his seat. If not, we may see Liam Lawson back in the Visa Cash App RB car. But why is Ricciardo so slow? Even Helmut Marko is shocked by it.

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Helmut Marko was left puzzled by Daniel Ricciardo’s lack of pace

It was rumored that Daniel Ricciardo was given an ultimatum by Helmut Marko and Red Bull to improve his performances within two races i.e. Japan and China. However, Marko denied giving this ultimatum. Nonetheless, the Japanese GP was done and dusted and Ricciardo crashed on Lap 1. Not a great thing to do when you’re trying to save your seat. And even Marko is left confused by Ricciardo’s lack of pace.

Helmut Marko said, “We are puzzled. He is generally slower than Yuki. Something isn’t right with him. That is surprising because the winter test went very well for him. But right now Yuki is clearly faster. For comparison, you should have a different driver. Because the question is: has Tsunoda become that good, or is Daniel that bad? After three races on three completely different circuits, there is still no objective answer.”

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What do you think? Will Red Bull management replace Daniel Ricciardo and bring in Liam Lawson?

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Written by:

Pranay is an F1 Content Analyst and writer at EssentiallySports who effortlessly blends his technical knowledge and passion for F1 in his writing. He has a knack for unique content research and specializes in trend-setting articles. Pranay’s coverage of the departure of Guenther Steiner from Haas received appreciation from readers.

Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai

F1 Rumor: Daniel Ricciardo “Most at Risk” of Getting Fired by Christian Horner & Co.

Helmut Marko was left puzzled by Daniel Ricciardo’s lack of pace

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