Daniel Ricciardo says Visa Cash App RB weren’t ‘good enough’ during the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.
Ricciardo lined up 14th on the grid at the start of his first full season back with the team, having replaced Nyck de Vries midway through 2023.
He gained a place to finish the race 13th, but says he still struggled for much of the evening in Sakhir.
RB’s race was somewhat overshadowed by controversy as Yuki Tsunoda fumed over the team radio after being ordered to let Ricciardo through at the end of the race.
Tsunoda was fighting Kevin Magnussen for 12th place at the time, and the Haas driver ended up holding on even after the swap took palce.
Daniel Ricciardo makes ‘painful’ admission after Bahrain Grand Prix
Speaking to the official F1 channel after the race, Ricciardo said RB were too slow to contend for points in Sakhir.
The Australian is, however, confident they can respond on the second leg of the back-to-back in Saudi Arabia.
“We were not quite good enough for points today,” he said. “Not quite there. I’ve got an idea of what we can do to be better, so I have some confidence going into next week, but the first two stints were a little painful today.”
Ricciardo and Tsunoda nearly collided in Bahrain
Things could have been a lot worse for the rebranded team, with Ricciardo and Tsunoda very nearly coming together on the cool-down lap after the race.
It promises to be a tense year at the Red Bull sister outfit, with both drivers likely eyeing the seat at the top team as Sergio Perez approaches the end of his contract.
Likewise, both of them will be aware that Liam Lawson, who stepped in last year after Ricciardo broke his wrist, is waiting in the wings if they under-perform.
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