Boss: Ricciardo needs 'harder skin' for midfield life
Cyril Abiteboul says Daniel Ricciardo may develop a "harder skin" for life further down the F1 grid.
Having switched from the top team Red Bull, Australian Ricciardo endured a horror start to his Renault adventure by damaging his wing even before the first corner at home in Melbourne.
He said afterwards that the weekend had left him "exhausted" and "flat".
"It's a long week," Ricciardo said of his home race.
"I haven't had much chance to rest. I've been trying to please everyone except myself. Next year it will be different."
Ricciardo said the preparation for Bahrain will be completely different, and more like "a holiday week" so that he can "prepare properly".
"I think my preparation was not what it should be," he said. "I just have a feeling that I didn't prepare for the race at all because I was trying to please everyone else."
One interpretation is that Ricciardo has not yet adjusted to life outside the 'top three' F1 teams.
"It's not that he underestimated it, but as a midfield team we do not operate in the same way as a top team," team boss Abiteboul told France's Auto Hebdo.
"Maybe Daniel will have to get a harder skin and some more patience at the start," he added.
"But I am absolutely not panicked. He is an intelligent guy. In Bahrain we will have a more traditional circuit with more space at the sides," Abiteboul added.
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Very unfortunate for Daniel and very lucky indeed: Could ended up in disaster and by chain reaction, great control Deni. Considering F1, MOTOGP, WSBK and all other racing criteria where danger yes it is part of it but not is if the event organizers are negligent and irresponsible; Bumps and Racing Tracks do not match, forever uncompatible and due to safety implementation practice for decades. In 2019 bumps on tracks should not exist but still survive the ignorance and privilege of some: I FULLY BLAME and HEAVILY FAULT ORGANIZERS. and LIABLE.
I am a Dan Ricciardo fan but am inclined to agree with his own analysis. He did not prepare himself well enough for the Australian race. As Mark Webber said "this is what track walks are for". These are F1 drivers he should have known that obstacle was there - he know it too. He will learn from this, double down and show us what an immense talent he is. Won't you Dan!
Webber comment it is correct, within a privileged position in the Organization: Racing Tracks should never ever hold or hide TRAPS!!!
Yes I think he was under a tremendous amount of pressure. He has to settle in with Renault and his performance will peak. Looking forward to Bahrain. Good luck Dsniel.
Ricciardo will NEVER accept the defeatist mentality that Cyril is showing by his choice of words by continuing to say Renault is a midfield and not a top tier team and effectively blaming Ricciardo for not driving to seventh or eighth. Are you a loser at heart Cyril? Furthermore, the Melbourne GP authority are responsible for the level difference at the path near the start. Despite Webber's opinion a walk would not have indicated the area would rip the front wing off notwithstanding Perez's squeeze. The last turn off the kerb onto the front straight saw cars regularly on the grass without ripping the front wing off.
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