34-year-old driver admits he’s trying to ‘calm people down’ ahead of Bahrain GP

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Visa Cash App RB driver Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he’s trying to ‘calm people down’ ahead of the opening race of the season in Bahrain.

Although the regulations in Formula 1 haven’t changed for 2024, it appears as though RB have made some of the biggest steps forward over the winter.

That could be brilliant news for Daniel Ricciardo and he was talking, via the Formula 1 website, ahead of the first Grand Prix of the year.

Ricciardo trying to ‘calm people down’ ahead of Bahrain GP

Until the chequered flag comes down at the end of the race on Saturday afternoon in Sakhir, nothing is guaranteed in Formula 1.

There’s a huge amount that can happen during qualifying on Friday and the race itself that could create a few surprises.

That being said, the expectation is that Max Verstappen will start the defence of his third title with another victory.

Alex Albon has even suggested that he could pull out such a huge lead over his rivals that he’ll be able to pit for fresh tyres to set the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap.

However, one team that will be hoping that the progress they appeared to make in testing will be sustained throughout the weekend is RB.

Daniel Ricciardo in particular looked very quick but wants to remain calm ahead of the race in Bahrain.

He knows how important 2024 is for his Formula 1 future, with his current contract expiring at the end of the year.

That won’t matter if he achieves his ultimate dream of finishing his career alongside Verstappen at Red Bull.

RB looked to leapfrog teams in 2024

Speaking ahead of the first race of the campaign, Ricciardo said: “I’m very excited, it’s been nice to get a full pre-season. It helps, it really does, no matter how experienced you are.

“I think we learned a lot from testing, of course, we are looking for more speed but we have a lot more understanding going into practice tomorrow.

“I’m trying to calm people down, I think some people are probably getting maybe the wrong idea about how good it really is.

“We’ll improve as the season goes on with updates. Target is Q3 and points, yeah it’s close but realistically we still have a bit to go. We are in the midfield somewhere, but where that is no one knows.”

Ricciardo is incredibly calm when he’s in the car, but the excitement will be beginning to build in the RB garage as the Bahrain GP approaches.

He and Yuki Tsunoda have a fantastic opportunity this year with Williams leaving their development late in the day over the winter and Alpine struggling in testing.

If they can overtake both of those teams that would be a successful season, but they may even be looking further up the grid.

So much so, that Ted Kravitz has even predicted that Ricciardo could be competing for podiums this year.