### Daniel Ricciardo Reveals Harsh Reality After Grand Prix Disaster
Australian F1 star Daniel Ricciardo has candidly shared his struggles after a disastrous performance at his home Grand Prix.
For the first time, Ricciardo was eliminated in Q1 on Saturday after his lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits. Although he initially made it to P11, he was relegated to 18th on the grid due to all four tyres leaving the track.
Visa Cash App RB team principal Laurent Mekies saw potential improvements, but Ricciardo was disheartened and puzzled by the speed gap between himself and teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
“I felt like I got everything out of it, but it wasn’t enough compared to Yuki. That’s puzzling,” he said. “I know what a good lap feels like, and it wasn’t enough. I can’t find another seven tenths in it.”
Car adjustments after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix showed some improvement, but the problem persists. “It seemed better, but I’m not fully convinced. It’s a nice car to drive, but the lap times don’t show it,” he added.
Starting his home Grand Prix in 18th is “painful,” but Ricciardo hopes to “charge through the field.”
Sky Sports’ Naomi Schiff finds Ricciardo’s uncertainty troubling. “He doesn’t understand where it’s going wrong, which makes it harder to fix,” she said.
Karun Chandhok advised Ricciardo to stay patient, suggesting he play the long game on a track prone to incidents. “He needs to stay clean for the first lap and see how it unfolds,” Chandhok recommended.
