Ricciardo has come under fire in the opening rounds of 2024 after being beaten by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in all three encounters thus far (allowing for team orders in Bahrain).
That prompted speculation the Australian could be dumped by the time the championship reaches Miami next month, a notion denied by all parties.
However speaking ahead of this weekend’s race, Ricciardo suggested there were still things left to be tried, including swapping chassis.
Following qualifying in Saudi Arabia, RB found discrepancies between his car and that driven by Yuki Tsunoda, which were addressed for the Australian GP.
Other components have also been changed to eliminate variables where possible, with a chassis the next step – once it’s ready.
“For me, the chassis is a big lump of carbon that we attach the suspension to, attach an engine to, and a gearbox to,” RB sporting director Alan Permane admitted.
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“It’s really ever so unlikely that there are performance issues with the chassis.
“However, we have a new one coming through, it makes sense at all levels to give that to Daniel, not least that Yuki is super happy and super comfortable where he is.
“We don’t have a preference on drivers. With Daniel, maybe it’s good for him to just put that completely to bed, that there any there any issues with the car.”
In Formula 1, the chassis essentially refers to the tub where the driver sits, to which the power unit, suspension and floor are fitted.
Theoretically, there is no difference from one to the next.
“I don’t see it as being a performance differentiator and certainly not something we want to be hopping drivers in and out of. It’s a happy accident we had one coming,” Permane said of RB’s current situation.
“We’re not bringing a chassis because of his issues, let’s be clear about that. It all fits together.”
The root of Ricciardo’s struggle is difficult to pinpoint.
He’s been unable to unlock single-lap pace and feels he’s weaker than Tsunoda through high-speed corners.
“It’s not an easy one,” Permane confessed of Ricciardo’s trouble.
“You can address those kinds of things with set-up [but] what you don’t want to do is make the car slower.
“We’ve been very cautious to not make it more comfortable but a slower car.
“In a perfect world, you’d dial it out and give him his confidence and slowly creep back to get the maximum performance,” he added.
“There’s no reason Daniel can’t drive the car like it is, in its quickest form, that’s clear and I’m pretty sure he understands that.
“That’s what we need to do, give him the quickest possible car.”
The new chassis is scheduled to arrive in time for the next round of the championship, the Chinese Grand Prix, in two weeks.
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