After his retirement, Ricciardo will have to “get tough” according to Abiteboul

The discourse concerning the harshness of fights in second-tier stables may have been made for several years, but it remains difficult to believe until you have tasted it. Daniel Ricciardo experienced it on Sunday March 17 on home soil in Melbourne (Australia) from the start of the Grand Prix.

The star of the public, qualified in a modest 12th place, exploded his fin after the first meters. Forced to return to the pits, the former driver Red Bull survived at the bottom of the rankings beforeabandon it to spare the mechanics. 

« I was still unlucky, I had just two wheels off the asphalt, then there was this kind of hole, which is not common on other circuits. That's how it is, but it's hard, says the Australian.

I got off to a better start than Sergio. He changed lines, I shifted but you never know how much the car in front will change its trajectory. It must be followed according to the initial actions of the pilots. »

What if, quite simply, Daniel Ricciardo, accustomed to the first places, had underestimated the scale of the task by joining Renault, mid-pack stable? No, replies his boss Cyril Abiteboul, exclusively for AUTOhebdo. “It's not that he underestimated, but you don't race the same way in a mid-table team compared to a top team. That, I think so. Maybe he'll have to toughen up his skin and have a certain amount of patience when starting out., explains the Frenchman.

We don't make up three places like that. He's going to find out but I'm not panicked at all. He's a smart boy. We will have in Bahrain (next round from March 29 to 31. Editor’s note) a slightly more traditional circuit, with more room on the sides. »

The main person leaves Albert Park with nervous fatigue, a consequence of the high expectations of the entire public but also of Renault. “I have the feeling that the whole weekend was difficult, because you push all the time, you never do enough, but I have the perception that we are doing more than necessary. 

I feel flat for several reasons. I'm exhausted, I tried to please everyone these last few days, I didn't pay attention to myself. I will change that for next year”, he analyzes. 

Find the analysis of the Australian GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2208 of AUTOhebdo, available Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands.