Daniel Ricciardo has had a dream start to his Mexico City Grand Prix weekend as he outqualified Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. The Australian clocked in the fourth-fastest time and was almost half a tenth quicker than the Mexican. However, a certain part of the credit must go to Yuki Tsunoda, who helped Ricciardo put on such a performance. The Japanese driver has now joked about how AlphaTauri “forced” him to help the 34-year-old.
When an interviewer told Tsunoda that he is “a real team player,” the 23-year-old hilariously replied, “Well, I got forced to do it. So…I’m kidding“. Since Tsunoda is all set to start the Mexico City GP from the back of the grid, he helped Ricciardo during qualifying by providing the Honey Badger with a fantastic tow.
“yuki u are a real teamplayer.”
yuki: well i was forced to do it so. haha, im kiddingpic.twitter.com/nIvfqKQJP3
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) October 29, 2023
The duo also rehearsed the same during the practice sessions and executed the tow perfectly when it mattered most. The slipstream helped Ricciardo ease his way into Q3 as he registered the second-fastest time.
Beautiful slipstreaming from the @AlphaTauriF1 duo
After practicing it in… well, practice, Tsunoda gives Ricciardo a tow – and the Aussie goes P2!
#MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/nhxUXmWpZl
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 28, 2023
However, considering that Tsunoda did not make it to Q3 and Ricciardo yet managed to set the fourth-fastest time, the Australian perhaps did not need the tow after all. The 34-year-old’s raw pace is a worrying sign for Perez, who finds himself under increasing pressure at Red Bull.
Daniel Ricciardo provides himself a major boost to secure the Red Bull seat
Daniel Ricciardo made his ambitions abundantly clear when he returned to the F1 grid in Hungary earlier this year. The Australian stated that he is looking to get back in line to have a shot at getting that second Red Bull seat in 2025.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also believes that Ricciardo went to AlphaTauri this season as the 34-year-old believes (as quoted by formula1.com) that this is the “best route” to put himself back in contention for the second seat at the Milton Keynes outfit. Red Bull have confirmed Sergio Perez for 2024 but are yet to make a decision about their driver line-up in 2025.
Therefore, Ricciardo’s performance so far in Mexico will do him a world of good in creating a positive impression among the Red Bull bosses. Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that it is not just the Honey Badger that is keen to secure that second seat at the Milton Keynes outfit.
Yuki Tsunoda also has the same ambition and is aware that the “slower” one between him and Ricciardo will not make it to Red Bull in 2025. Therefore, even though Tsunoda did help Ricciardo during the Mexico City GP qualifying, both drivers will be desperate to beat each other whenever they have the opportunity to do so to ensure that they have the best case to secure that second Red Bull seat.
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