Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team manager Laurent Mekies says his team has taken joint responsibility for failing to lead Daniel Ricciardo to success, claiming they “didn't keep him in the sweet spot enough.”
Ricciardo's departure from Red Bull's sister team came earlier this season following a poor run of form leading up to the Singapore Grand Prix.
This comes after Helmut Marko admitted in a column with SpeedWeek that Red Bull Racing had given him a “second chance that no one else would have given the Australian driver” and added that the Australian had “lost his killer instinct”.
Christian Horner later shed some light on the situation following Ricciardo's departure, telling the Times: “I think it was due to a lack of consistency.” He would go on to reveal that Marko “wanted Ricciardo out of the car” in June at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The 35-year-old found it difficult to deliver consistent performances in 2024, with an eighth-place finish in Canada being his highest placing of the season. He would end his time with VCARB in 18th place in Singapore after a disappointing season, with Liam Lawson, who has now joined Red Bull, taking his place.
Despite this, Mekies broke his silence to affirm that it was not Ricciardo's sole fault, accepting responsibility on behalf of the team.
Daniel Ricciardo (centre) was sacked by VCARB earlier this year after a disappointing run of form.
VCARB team principal Laurent Mekies said his team has taken collective responsibility following Ricciardo's dismissal.
The team manager admitted his team had struggled to keep Ricciardo (pictured) “in the sweet spot”
“The question we got asked the most was, 'Can Daniel still produce the top speed we've seen?' I think he's done it a few times, in Miami, in Canada (fifth place in the standings) and in quite a few other races,” Mekies said. motor sports.
“So, he produced that top speed that led him to win races in the past.
'But for the team, as for the drivers, the biggest difficulty is not being fast one day. It's about being fast in every race.
'Do we manage to keep Daniel in that sweet spot often enough? No, that's the reality.
'I raised my hand and we raised it as a team because we have an important role to play in it. And this led to what happened.”
Despite that, while Ricciardo's final season with the Formula One team didn't turn out as he expected, it seems his experience and knowledge of the sport helped the team move forward with the development of its car.
“But Daniel certainly pushed us to explore that area, and he gave the engineering team a very good foundation of what the car could and couldn't do,” he added.
“There was a huge benefit to the team and to Yuki in terms of technical feedback from Daniel, development direction and focus on winning races.”
While Ricciardo's final season with the Formula One team didn't turn out as he expected, it appears his experience helped the team move forward with the development of its car.
Helmut Marko (pictured) had previously stated that the Australian driver had lost his advantage and that Red Bull had “given him a second chance that no one else would give him”.
Yuki Tsunoda (left) praised his former teammate, calling him “the driver I learn the most from.”
Leading Ricciardo's experience, the racing driver enjoyed a 13-year spell on the main circuit. During that time, he would win eight races and achieve 32 podiums, having participated in 253 races, having raced with Torro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren and VCARB.
He also added that Yuki Tsunoda had been able to build a great relationship with Ricciardo, adding that the Australian had been a mentor to the young driver.
“We talked after the race in Singapore, we said thank you and appreciated each other and, to be honest, I was a little emotional,” said Tsunoda, speaking about Ricciardo's departure from the team.
“He has been a very good teammate and I think he is the driver with whom I learn the most of all the drivers.”
“I saw a couple of his posts on social media and it looks like he's enjoying some time off.”