Racing Bulls must make key decisions on upgrades – Daniel Ricciardo says an important moment is coming up for the 2024 season
Racing Bulls must decide which direction to take for the 2024 Formula 1 season. According to Daniel Ricciardo, the team is facing an important decision that will have a significant impact on the outcome between now and the season finale. The focus is on the planned upgrades, which are giving those responsible a headache
In Barcelona, the team from Faenza introduced a major upgrade to improve the performance of the cars. Racing Bulls wanted to gain an advantage over the competition in the midfield. A new underbody, rear wing and modified bodywork were supposed to save the day, but the team did not have the pace to keep up with the competition.
There are therefore many question marks as to why there are so many problems with the new parts. Over the past few races, the team has been trying to find out which part is having the desired effect and which is not. The rear wing seems to be causing problems. After the triple-header, Racing Bulls now has some time to concentrate on development.
According to Ricciardo, the decisions made during the short summer break will determine the direction the team will take in the second half of the season. If a mistake is made now, it could be difficult to turn things around. “This could be an important moment,” he says.
“The right decisions have to be made now,” says the Australian. “Every moment in Formula 1 is important, but the correlation and understanding of this upgrade will dictate what the next upgrade will be and how well we understand it.”
According to Ricciardo, the summer will decide where the car will be in October and November. “This is an important time for us,” he clarifies. The experienced Formula 1 driver wants to make his contribution and use his feedback to help take the right path. “Of course, I’m not an engineer or aerodynamicist,” he says. “But it’s my duty as a driver to do my best.”
Ricciardo wants to do everything he can to help with his instincts and knowledge. However, the responsibility for drawing conclusions from the feedback lies with the engineers, who are also working flat out to improve the car. Important: Ricciardo hopes that the simulations and data will be reflected in reality.
“This is teamwork,” Ricciardo continues. “We have a lot to work through that has happened in the past three weeks.” Racing Bulls must not lose momentum, which is why the upgrades are all the more important, especially as Haas has made a big leap forward. Nico Hülkenberg recently took two sixth places, meaning that Haas is now only four points behind Racing Bulls in seventh place in the constructors’ championship.
Ricciardo is surprised by Haas, but knows the sport like the back of his hand: “Everything can change so quickly, so you can never rest on your laurels. We bring our upgrades to almost every race and many of them work very well.” Ricciardo defends his team, but says the effects are less than hoped for. “It’s not down to willpower,” he says. “We have to make the right move now.”
The team’s employees are frustrated, but it’s not yet to the point of “throwing tables across the room”. “It’s all very constructive and everyone is doing their best,” says Ricciardo. “That motivates us. We’ve seen Haas and they’ve improved their lap times. We can do it too, now we just have to make sure it works. “
