Daniel Ricciardo told to quit F1 as new Red Bull decline theory emerges – round-up

Henry Valantine 18 Aug 2024 10:00 PM

Daniel Ricciardo adjusts his headphones on the grid at Spa

Daniel Ricciardo's F1 career could head one of two ways

It’s your final F1 news round-up before the sport awakens from its summer slumber, with race week for the Dutch Grand Prix not far away.

Fear not, however, there is always lots to talk about in this sport, so here’s a look at what has made the headlines on this final Sunday of the August break.

F1 news – Daniel Ricciardo retirement suggestion from Dutch pundit

Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel believes Daniel Ricciardo would make an “ideal” Formula 1 pundit, but believes the time has come for him to potentially step out of the limelight.

“He didn’t succeed at McLaren, he didn’t succeed at AlphaTauri and he’s never going to succeed again. Be honest with yourself,” Coronel told Formule1.nl.

“He is an ideal motorsport co-commentator or analyst. He is funny, has flair and can handle anything well.

“Go and enjoy that, but stop doing Formula 1. And at a training team, he has no business at all anyway.”

Red Bull ‘plateauing’ through cost cap and ATR?

The aerodynamic testing restrictions in place based on the Constructors’ Championship and the restrictions of the cost cap in Formula 1 may be beginning to tell at Red Bull, according to Damon Hill, who believes that could be at least “partly” the reason why other teams have been able to reel in their rivals.

Appearing on the F1 Nation podcast, he said: “It is impossible to call because I think the trajectory has been quite noticeable. The plateauing of Red Bull and Max Verstappen has been quite dramatic.

“I don’t know whether it’s the cost cap or all the other things they bring in, like the restrictions for [teams] who have won more than anyone else in the previous season, but it has to be partly that.”

Oscar Piastri’s update on his broken rib

In a short and sweet Instagram caption, Oscar Piastri posted that he is “sunned and healed” and ready for the season to continue, having revealed he had broken a rib earlier this year.

This information only came to light during the summer break in the first place, the young Australian keeping his injury under wraps as he was able to continue racing – taking his first Grand Prix victory in Hungary in the process, no doubt through a fair amount of pain.

Don’t expect a father-son Le Mans effort from the Verstappens

Unfortunately, while Max Verstappen is extremely keen to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans one day, having spoken in previous years about wanting to do so with his father Jos, Verstappen Sr admitted he is now looking at other disciplines.

Former F1 driver Jos has won the LMP2 class before, doing so in 2008 before moving up to LMP1 a year later, but he admitted he is unlikely to race in the event again in future.

“No, I enjoy rallying,” he said to Verstappen.com when asked if he would go back into the iconic race one day. “Let the young guys race at Le Mans; I find rallying much more exciting.”

Ex-Adrian Newey colleague predicts Maranello move

Adrian Newey has remained tight-lipped about where he will end up next, though former McLaren co-ordinator Jo Ramirez, who was at the team in Newey’s tenure, believes a move to Ferrari could be on the cards for the prestige of working at the biggest team in the sport.

“I don’t think he will retire. I see him at Ferrari, because any job you do in F1 successfully you have to do at Ferrari as well,” Ramírez told Mundo Deportivo.

“He’s going to continue, but we don’t know where.”

Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo Lewis Hamilton