Helmut Marko critical of Lance Stroll after crashing into Daniel Ricciardo
After the Chinese Grand Prix, Helmut Marko reflects on Daniel Ricciardo's performance in the race, when he clashed with Lance Stroll.
Daniel Ricciardo is under the pressure of Helmut Marko since the beginning of the season, due to performances that are quite disappointing compared to his teammate at Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda.
The Australian was given a new chassis in Shanghai and had a better weekend. He was racing in the points in ninth place, until Lance Stroll crashed into him, before a safety car restart.
Ricciardo’s car was damaged beyond repair and he then had to retire from the race. Marko noted that Ricciardo’s performance was good for his first weekend since the chassis change.
« Daniel Ricciardo had a new chassis available in China and the whole procedure was planned from the start because it is our third chassis that we wanted to bring to the track. But of course, this change also had an impact on the psychological level after Daniel’s disappointing performances in previous weekends.
« Things went much better for Ricciardo in China, Marko told SpeedWeek.
Ricciardo heavily penalized.
Helmut Marko also criticized Lance Stroll, after the Aston Martin driver blamed Ricciardo for their collision that occurred under the safety car while the pack was regrouping at the hairpin turn.
« I find it incredible that Lance Stroll called him an idiot after the checkered flag », added Marko. « And that he also had to receive a penalty for Miami. It really wasn’t his weekend. »
The Australian will serve a penalty of three grid places at the next Grand Prix in Miami after the stewards determined that he had overtaken Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas while behind the safety car in Shanghai.
There are speculations that Ricciardo is fighting to keep his seat at Racing Bulls, but the driver, an eight-time Grand Prix winner, insists that he does not feel any additional pressure.
« I didn’t have a good start to the season but I’m also not a novice trying to establish myself in the sport and prove something. I have a history, he said.
» I don’t want it to take a whole year, and I don’t expect it to be the case either, because on the one hand I am not a novice, I have experience, so that should also count. It’s not like I’m trying to show them something they haven’t seen, we’re just trying to put me, I guess, in a place where I feel I can perform.
« There’s no additional pressure like shit, am I going to get a seat next weekend or anything like that. It’s none of that.
