Daniel Ricciardo will need to develop a “harder skin” and “more patience” if he wants to triumph in this year’s midfield battle, says Cyril Abiteboul.
Having swapped Red Bull for Renault in the off-season, Ricciardo is expecting a season spent battling in the midfield while his new team chases fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
And that’s exactly what he got at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The Aussie qualified P12 for his home race and immediately tried to make up positions at the start.
He attempted a pass around the outside of Sergio Perez only to bounce along the grass, hit a gutter, and lose his front wing.
Onboard of Daniel Ricciardo when he lost his front wing #AusGP #AustralianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/SPW9JIcdZu
— Eau rouge (@Insidef1) March 17, 2019
His Renault boss Abiteboul feels a less in patience is needed.
“It’s not that he underestimated it, but as a midfield team we do not operate in the same way as a top team,” he told France’s Auto Hebdo.
“Maybe he will have to get a harder skin and some more patience at the start.
“I am absolutely not panicked. He is an intelligent boy.
“In Bahrain we will have a more traditional circuit with more room at the sides.”
Ricciardo would later retire from the grand prix, parking his RS19 in the Renault garage as a result of the earlier damage.
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