‘Always punches above its weight’: Country that demolished Australia in sport in 2024

Daniel Ricciardo started the year in Red Bull’s junior team VCARB but was sacked mid-season for New Zealander Liam Lawson, who not only replaced the Aussie but last week got promoted to be Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate.

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RB team principal Laurent Mekies has come out this week, effectively apologising for not having the car in the “sweet spot” to maximise Ricciardo’s talents. 

Mekies told Motorsport.com: “The question we have been asked the most was: ‘Can Daniel still produce the ultimate speed we have seen?’ I think he has on a few occasions, in Miami, in Canada [fifth place in qualifying] and in quite a few other races. So, he did produce that ultimate speed that took him to race wins in the past.

“But for the team, as for the drivers, the biggest difficulty is not to be fast one day. It’s to be fast in every race. Did we manage to keep Daniel in that sweet spot often enough? No, that’s the reality.

“I raised my hand and we raised our hands as a team, because we have a big part to play in it. And this led to what happened.”