Daniel Ricciardo downplayed Helmut Marko’s recent comments regarding his low-key start to his 2024 campaign with RB, insisting that he is all too aware of what is expected of him.
Ricciardo struggled to match teammate Yuki Tsunoda's pace in qualifying in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia, while neither driver put points on the board at either venue.
The Aussie’s display in Jeddah, where he finished P16, was further marred by a spin in the closing stages of the race.
Assessing the efforts of RB’s drivers after the first two races of the season, Marko was clearly unimpressed by Ricciardo’s opening performances.
"Yuki's qualifying was very good and Ricciardo will have to come up with something soon," Red Bull’s motorsport advisor bluntly stated, speaking to Speedweek.
Facing the media on Thursday in Melbourne ahead of his home race, Ricciardo was asked if Marko’s words equated to mounting pressure. While downplaying any annoyance, Ricciardo acknowledged the two-sided coin of media relations in Formula 1.
"It's not annoying,” he replied. "The most important part of our job is the driving but a big part of it is talking [to the media].
"When things go well, everyone is talking positively and when they don't [go well], they don't talk so positively."
Since his return to the grid last summer when he replaced an underperforming Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, and despite his five-race absence due to a hand injury sustained in free practice at the Dutch GP, Ricciardo has repeatedly stated that his aim is to perform well enough to become Red Bull’s preferred candidate to race alongside Max Verstappen next year.
However, the 34-year-old also feels that he has nothing to prove to others, only to himself.
"I know that I came back here because I believe I can do it, I believe I belong here," he said.
"When people ask 'do you have a point to prove' or 'keep people happy'... I am here for myself because I know I can still do it.
"I do want to make people proud but if someone says something, I know it already because I have told myself that, and I know what is expected.
"So, of course, I want to be qualifying in Q3 and get the results I believe I can, but it's tight, we are in such a tight midfield.
"In Bahrain in quali, I knew I didn't quite put the lap together I should have and I put my hand up for that but that's the difference from maybe P14 to Q3.
"End of Q1 in Saudi, P9 to P16 was less than a tenth so you can very quickly look like a hero or not.
"That's where every tenth counts and that's where I look to myself first."
Nevertheless, Ricciardo will need to find his racing edge quickly to solidify his position with the RB team, let alone to secure a seat with Red Bull racing for 2025.
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