RB MUST GIVE RICCIARDO AN F1 CAR "HE'S MORE COMFORTABLE WITH"

Ricciardo started the Melbourne event in 18th after losing his final Q1 lap to track limits.

After qualifying, he pronounced himself "puzzled" that the cancelled lap felt good and yet was off the pace of team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who made Q3 for the second time in 2024.

In the race, Ricciardo moved up to 12th at the flag, helped by attrition and issues for Esteban Ocon and Valtteri Bottas, while Tsunoda finished an impressive seventh.

Mekies says the team is still fully behind Ricciardo and has to tailor the VCARB 01 to his needs.

"The truth is that we need to give him a car that he's more comfortable with," the Frenchman told Autosport. "Yuki had a car that he was very comfortable with from FP1 here.

"We probably reached that stage only in qualifying with Daniel, and from there you need to build. And we feel that he has certainly done that in the race.

"He was as fast as the guys getting the points today. So we will have been fighting for the points with a more decent starting position.

"It's another positive to take home, the fact that Daniel has produced a very strong race as well, even if he was starting from the back."

Daniel Ricciardo, RB F1 Team VCARB 01

Photo by: Mark Horsburgh / Motorsport Images

CEO Peter Bayer suggests that Ricciardo was too hard on himself when assessing his qualifying performance relative to that of Tsunoda, and stresses that he had a strong race given his starting position.

"I think he misinterpreted a bit the data," said Bayer. "We actually had a look with him on what we have seen.

"And ultimately, I'm also taking positives away for Daniel, because he found his found his pace again in qualifying. I think if he could have done that lap on Friday, then he could have built on it.

"And honestly, I'm sure that he would have been in the in the top 10 as well in the qualifying. So we just need to take that away.

"On Sunday it's difficult, because in terms of traffic, in terms of how you manage the race and where you position yourself, it's also a track where it's not easy to overtake.

"Honestly, he did a good job, solid job and we know that we can build on what we've seen here."

Watch: What happened to Lewis' Power Unit? | 2024 Australian GP Akkodis F1 Race Debrief

2024-03-29T11:18:34Z dg43tfdfdgfd