RB has confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo will receive a brand-new Formula 1 chassis at the Chinese Grand Prix to alleviate concerns over his struggles in the 2024 season.
Ricciardo has failed to match team-mate Yuki Tsunoda across the opening three rounds of the season and slumped to a Q1 elimination last time out at his home race.
The Australian conceded he was “puzzled” with his one-lap pace in Melbourne a fortnight ago, prompting him to admit that he had discussed a possible chassis change.
There have been multiple incidences in the past where teams have sought to eradicate the concerns of underperforming drivers through conducting such an exercise.
RB Racing Director Alan Permane has revealed that a new chassis is being readied for Ricciardo in Shanghai, although he is adamant that his VCARB 01 has no defects.
“For me the chassis is a big lump of carbon that we attach the suspension to, attach an engine to, and a gearbox to,” he said.
“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.”
Permane has clarified that RB does not intend to introduce a fresh chassis based on Ricciardo’s worries, but rather that it comes as a pure coincidence timing-wise.
“Sometimes you can measure things, you can put chassis on rigs and check stiffnesses and things like that,” he added.
“The reason I say it’s ever so unlikely is because it really is not a performance differentiator.
“A survival cell is what it’s known as in the regulations, it’s there to mount the front suspension off, to mount the engine off, and to keep the driver safe.
“So I don’t see it as being a performance differentiator, and it’s certainly not something we want to be hopping drivers in and out of.
“It’s a happy accident that we have one coming, and it doesn’t make sense to give it to Yuki.
“It makes sense to give it to Daniel, but we’re not bringing a new chassis because of his issues, to clear about that. It is just that it all kind of fits together.”
Permane has explained that RB is being cautious regarding altering Ricciardo’s set-up in order to ensure he avoids ending up in the cul-de-sac he encountered at McLaren.
“It’s not an easy one because you can address those sorts of things with set-up,” the ex-Alpine Sporting Director proclaimed.
“But what you don’t want to do is make the car slower, and we’ve been very cautious not to make it [a] more comfortable but slower car.
“In a perfect world, you dial it out, give him his confidence, and then slowly creep back to get the maximum performance.
“There’s no reason that Daniel can’t drive the car like it is, in its quickest form. That’s clear.
“I’m pretty sure he understands that and that’s what we need to do, is give him the quickest possible car.”
Meanwhile, RB has introduced a revised floor for this weekend, which Tsunoda ran during FP1 and has been fitted to Ricciardo’s car in time for the second practice hour.
Ricciardo, who missed FP1 to allow Ayumu Iwasa to drive with the previous specification floor, divulged ahead of the weekend that it wouldn’t be a sizeable improvement.
“It has strakes at the front, it has a new wing down the side of it, and actually a new little detail round the rear tyre,” he expanded. “It gives us a nice little step of downforce.
“We’re a little bit hesitant to say it’s going to be fantastic here at Suzuka, it mainly focusses a little bit on lower speed, and here we have a much more high speed content, so we’re intrigued to see how it will go here.
“We would like a little bit more high-speed performance, that’s why I say we’re a little bit hesitant here. We’ve got upgrades coming in the next couple of races that will target that area.”
