With Red Bull’s protracted and unsuccessful appeal from the Australian Grand Prix surrounding Daniel Ricciardo’s short-lived second place now in the past, both parties can focus on the campaign ahead.
Ricciardo only has twelve points to show from the first three events, but in this short and frustrating time, we’ve gleaned that the West Australian is the real deal.
His combat in Bahrain was nothing short of outstanding and was unexpected by many.
The 24-year old made a statement when, trailing teammate Sebastian Vettel – the same driver who has won the past four titles – he succinctly informed pitwall “we’re losing time like this, we’ve got to decide what to do.”
It didn’t take long for the team to deliver the news Vettel probably never thought he’d hear, “Daniel is quicker than you, let him by, please.”
To Vettel’s credit, he dutifully obliged, though one doubts he’d have made it as easy had Mark Webber still been there.
Ricciardo went on to finish fourth, just a few tenths adrift of Sergio Perez, having started thirteenth courtesy of his grid penalty for the Malaysia incident.
This weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix looms not only as a pivotal moment in the resurrection of his campaign – to recoup the points lost from Australia and Malaysia. It also represents an opportunity to establish himself on equal footing with Vettel for the remainder of the season.
The four-time champion has shown in the past that he doesn’t cope well with a teammate who is performing as well, or better than he is. This was the case in 2010 and to a lesser degree in 2012.
Another strong performance from Ricciardo has the potential to destabilise the German, who must be coming to terms with the reality of no longer being safe in the knowledge that his car is the best in the field.
Remember back to when Ricciardo was appointed to the role? Everybody said it was merely done to appease Helmut Marko and his brainchild, the Red Bull Academy.
It hasn’t taken long to conclude that the Australian has warranted his promotion, with a little luck he’d be third in the standings.
As it is, he’s already achieved far more than anybody could have anticipated, with the promise of much more to come.
In concluding, the final outcome from the Australia debacle is disappointing, but we can take solace in the joy Ricciardo exuded on the podium. We know it won’t be long before he’s back up there again – perhaps on the top step, sooner rather than later.
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