Ricciardo Suzuka qualifying woe heightens Red Bull/Renault tension
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says the Renault engine problem that curtailed Daniel Ricciardo's Japanese GP qualifying "shouldn't happen at this level"
Having got through Q1 in eighth place, Ricciardo suffered a throttle actuator failure early in Q2 without setting a laptimeso will start 15th.
The team is allowed by the FIA to change the part under parc ferme conditions without a further penalty.
The frustration for both Ricciardo and Red Bull is that he took engine grid penalties and started from the back at both Monza and Sochi in an attempt to ensure an untroubled run to the end of the season.
Horner made clear his frustration with another Renault issue hampering the team's progress.
"I'm gutted for Daniel really," Horner said. "No fault of his own, it looks like a throttle actuator on the engine side has cost him.
"He's obviously bitterly disappointed. It's something that shouldn't happen at this level."
Renault says the part that broke had not given trouble before, and that its design has remained the same all season, through the A, B and C specs, and thus the failure was not related to the recent upgrade.
"We haven't seen any major problem with that in the past," Renault Sport boss Cyril Abiteboul told Autosport.
"It's a part that's outside the parameters, so we can change it without having to start from pitlane, or without having to take a penalty. it's not C-spec related."
Asked if he expected to have a chat with Horner about the failure, he said: "No, no discussions any more. Acts."
Ricciardo admitted that his problem was made even more painful by the fact that Suzuka is a track on which it is hard to pass.
"I'll have better pace than the cars around me, but I'm not going to be driving by them easily," he said.
"I'd love to say I am, but I think realistically it's still going to be a pretty long old race.
"I'll do what I can, but I'm not expecting it to be too crazy."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Krack: Aston Martin F1 team no longer in “no-man’s land”
Gasly rues costly floor damage from Ocon contact in F1 Japanese GP
How an F1 underachiever became a Japanese political player
Ricciardo brushes off F1 future worries, new chassis brings "peace of mind"
Horner expects Ricciardo to "bounce back" from rough F1 2024 start
The increasing hurdles in front of Ricciardo's potential Red Bull return
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
Friday favourite: Renault's original F1 title-winner that began the Alonso era
Why Renault's survivor wasn't part of Alpine's plans
Oliveira reckons MotoGP “looks too easy” on TV now
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
WEC Imola: Ye fastest to lead Ferrari 1-2 in practice
F1 teams and Pirelli had no warning of “painted” Shanghai track surface
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments