Daniel Ricciardo hints at what was the epicenter of Yuki Tsunoda's early season form

Daniel Ricciardo claimed that his Visa Cash App RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda made a breakthrough last year after he used his setup to make a charge in the early 2024 season.

The Japanese driver has had the measure of his experienced Aussie teammate thus far as he has outpaced him in three out of the five races, while also getting the better of him in four out of five qualifying sessions.

Tsunoda's early season form in 2024 had left Daniel Ricciardo scratching his head which only subsided after he got a new chassis in China. As per Speedcafe, the RB driver spoke about Yuki Tsunoda's performances in the 2024 season and also disclosed a possible reason behind the surge, claiming:

“He's driving well. Like, it's as simple as that. Is he doing anything that's let's say different? Not really. I think it's just putting together some really good laps. Mexico last year, we made a bit of a breakthrough with set-up."

“After that very good weekend, I think definitely made Yuki quite curious about our way of driving the car and setting it up, and naturally he's come closer to that. Now we are actually running the car very similar and I think he's found comfort in what I found comfort in last year."

Daniel Ricciardo discusses his chances of getting the Red Bull nod for 2025

Daniel Ricciardo stated that having a shot at Red Bull for the 2025 season wasn't in the 'forefront' of his head as he was focused on his current season.

Speaking with Motorsportweek, the Aussie driver said:

“Even talking now about going up, I don’t even want to talk about it, because I’ve got to get my season going even before talking or thinking about that. So it’s not [at] the forefront of my mind right now.

"You [have] always got to prove yourself right. So I got to prove myself here again and get that ball rolling. But I think, you know, being here in the family, they know what I’m capable of. And I think that’s obviously really encouraging."

Daniel Ricciardo's chances of joining Red Bull have significantly reduced since the beginning of the 2024 season, given his deficit to Yuki Tsunoda in the VCARB01. However, there are still some minute chances that he might get the call-up in place of Sergio Perez if he makes a breakthrough post-China until the rest of the season.