Shop
Ricciardo was downbeat following Friday’s qualifying session, which saw him bundled out as the slowest runner in Qualifying 2.
It left the Australian questioning whether there was something wrong with his car as he was unable to improve his pace as the track ramped up.
Before the race, the FIA published a document listing the parts teams have replaced (if any) under parc ferme conditions.
For Ricciardo, this was limited to a “Laser window cover”, hardly a component likely to transform his performance.
Under parc ferme conditions, teams are unable to make large changes to the car, meaning the 24-year-old carried his qualifying issues into the race.
Off the start, the eight-time race winner slipped back a place before a slow stop under the early Safety Car left him running 18th and last.
“It was always going to be an uphill battle. We simply don’t have everything functioning at 100 percent,” Ricciardo revealed.
“We see a few flaws, honestly, with the car, so we’ve got to get that fixed for the next one.”
Ricciardo’s race was defined by the slow stop, which saw him stuck behind Valtteri Bottas in the opening stages.
Once he cleared the Sauber, he quickly caught the train of cars that pursued Kevin Magnussen – the Dane acting as rear gunner for his Haas team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.
Stuck in the DRS train, there was little he could do as he saw out the 50 laps towards the foot of the timesheets.
To rub salt into the wound, he had a clumsy spin as he started the penultimate lap.
“I think the race itself, Safety Car, everyone pitted, and we had a really slow stop,” Ricciardo explained
“And then we’re in that train.
“At the end, then just to make sure I made my mistake as well, I had a spin at Turn 1, so… I didn’t want the team to feel left out!”
The pirouette was a result of taking too much kerb on the apex of the left-hander, with Ricciardo conceding it was likely a lapse in concentration in the latter stages.
“Probably a little bit of frustration, maybe on my part,” he rationalised.
Despite the difficult result, which saw him finish 16th, two places behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, Ricciardo remains optimistic.
That comes from the fact there is now an explanation for his struggles.
“The reason I’m staying optimistic is because I know that we had some things wrong,” he explained.
“With a good car and everything sorted, I know we can do a lot better. So painful three days, but I don’t want it to take any confidence out of us.
“Hasn’t been the start that we wanted, but it’s Race 2, and Melbourne’s next. So yeah, big push for everyone to get it right and we’ll have a good weekend.
“I’ll obviously put this weekend behind I think, just push the team hard,” he added.
“Already last night I stayed quite late to try and help everyone find the issues. Just up to me now to keep on ’em.
“I know they want it as bad as I do.
“So, make sure that we have a good package into Melbourne. My season will start there, and kick some ass.”
RB is one of four teams yet to get off the mark in 2024, along with Sauber, Williams, and Alpine.
The Australian Grand Prix is next, running from March 22-24.
