Ricciardo starred during Sprint Qualifying to start the short-form race fourth, finishing there on Saturday.
However, he could not carry that form into qualifying proper as he set just the 17th best time.
With a grid penalty carried over from the Chinese Grand Prix that left him last for Sunday’s race.
From there, he made little impact on the race as he came home 15th, two of his five place improvement courtesy of Logan Sargeant crashing out and Lance Stroll being penalised post-race.
“Coming into a race, I’m always hopeful and optimistic and excited, but I think we’re quickly met with the reality that it’s not the same when we’re in traffic,” Ricciardo explained.
“Obviously yesterday I was able to use the pace and had a clear track and just use the downforce and the grip of the car, but today, in these battles and with dirty air, we struggle.”
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Ricciardo spent much of the opening stint stuck behind Kevin Magnussen’s Haas as he made little impact on the race.
“I think a lot of the cars the race had a lot of downforce, so trying to attack and defend was simply just not a straightforward one for us,” Ricciardo explained of his race.
“It just goes back to qualifying. It’s so important.
“Obviously, yesterday, I was upset with the grip I had on that set of tyres and obviously, I still feel that way, but also, I’ll always look at myself as well.
“I was like, yeah, I could have still done a little bit better here and there, so I’ll still hold myself accountable for sessions like that.
“We’re quick, but we’re not quick enough to start at the back and chop through the field, we’re just simply not, so we’ve got to qualify better.”
After six races and two sprints, Ricciardo has a total of five world championship points.
Meanwhile, his RB team-mate Yuki Tsunoda delivered another points-paying result with seventh.
Tsunoda has scored 14 points in 2024, having finished in the top 10 in three of the six grands prix to start the year.
Their combined tally leaves RB sixth in the constructors’ championship with 19 points. The team scored 25 in total throughout 2023.
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