There have been countless examples in Formula 1 of drivers reaching the end of their careers and being unable to achieve the same levels as when they were at their peak.
The most recent example is possibly Sebastian Vettel who went from winning world championships with Red Bull to looking quite ordinary during his final season at Aston Martin in 2022.
Speaking to Planet F1, former F1 race winner Thierry Boutsen believes the same thing is happening to another driver on the grid.
Given the lack of rookies in the sport, the average age of the grid has been slowly rising over the past couple of years.
Some drivers – such as Fernando Alonso – appear to be timeless and it’s no wonder that his new deal with Aston Martin could see him driving well into his mid-40s.
Ferrari also have faith that Lewis Hamilton will be able to follow his lead after signing him up to a multi-year deal from the start of 2025, but he’ll already be 40 by the time he steps foot into a red race suit for the first time.
Unfortunately, Boutsen is unsure that Visa Cash App RB driver Daniel Ricciardo will ever be able to rediscover his best form.
After being parachuted into the team last year, the £105,000-a-week driver has been bested by teammate Yuki Tsunoda on multiple occasions.
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Thierry Boutsen thinks RB driver Daniel Ricciardo has already peaked
It’s safe to say that the first four races of the season haven’t gone to plan for Daniel Ricciardo.
Ricciardo still has the dream of returning to the sister Red Bull team one day, but his chances of doing so appear to be dwindling.
RB had to tell Tsunoda over the radio to let Ricciardo through in Bahrain and neither driver was able to deal with Haas’s tag team tactics that earned them their first point of the season in Saudi Arabia.
However, it was in Australia that Tsunoda showed just how much pace the RB possessed, so much so, that it left Ricciardo surprised after qualifying.
The Japanese driver has now achieved back-to-back top-ten finishes, while Ricciardo’s last race finished in the barriers just three corners into the race at Suzuka.
Boutsen believes that Ricciardo keeps making mistakes because he’s not as confident as an F1 driver needs to be in his RB and he might not be able to reach his highest level anymore.
If that’s the case, then the Red Bull group won’t give him too much longer to improve before Liam Lawson is parachuted into the team.
Daniel Ricciardo needs to improve quickly to stay in Formula 1
Speaking about the Australian driver, Boutsen said: “If you’re driving in Formula 1, you have to give 100 per cent of yourself all the time.
“If you’re affected by confidence, affected by a physical problem, affected by anything, you’re not doing a good job.
“You can see today, that he is making mistakes and is not as quick as he should and what he has been in the past.
“That means that his mental[ity] is not as strong as it was when he was winning races in the past.
“Then, the more mistakes come, the more you lose your confidence. It’s a situation that is very difficult to come out of, it’s a mental thing. It’s also part of his mental preparation that there may be something missing there.
“I wish him all the best. He’s shown, for the last few years, he’s had chances.
“When he was at McLaren, and even today, he’s got a good car. He’s got a car that should allow him to perform and make some sparkling moments. But he doesn’t do that.
“So it’s very sad to see him in this position. I think his talent is there, that’s for sure. He’s proven it in the past. But he’s not capable of using it, because something else is pushing him down.”
Ricciardo has big decision to make on his future very soon – opinion
If as Boutsen suggests, Ricciardo isn’t capable of using his talent anymore, then he has to question whether he wants to continue driving for RB beyond 2024.
A promotion to the Red Bull team in 2025 looks out of the question and the older he gets, the less likely he’s going to be chosen in the future.
Therefore, his career depends on either RB improving to a point where he could suddenly challenge for more points and potentially podiums and race wins, or earning a move elsewhere on the grid.
He did well at Renault, but his time at McLaren was much more challenging and considering how competitive the driver market is, Ricciardo might not be destined to a long stay in F1 after his return to the grid last year.
The post ‘Making mistakes’: Thierry Boutsen suggests £105k-a-week driver isn’t ‘capable’ of showing his talent anymore appeared first on F1 Oversteer.