Paul Stoddart now says 32-podium F1 star simply ‘needs his confidence back’

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If there’s anyone who has had to spend his entire career in motorsport trying to extract the most out of his drivers, it’s Paul Stoddart.

The 68-year-old Australian was involved with Jordan and Arrows as a sponsor before purchasing backmarkers Minardi ahead of the 2001 season.

Speaking to Speedcafe, he’s now talked about a driver on the current grid who could do with a serious pep talk right now.

All 20 drivers currently in Formula 1 are extremely talented and it’s a case of fine margins and the machinery underneath them that make all the difference.

However, their mindset is also just as important as if you’re completely committed then that’s going to hamper your performance as well.

Stoddart has now suggested that Daniel Ricciardo needs to get his confidence back to get the most out of his Visa Cash App RB car.

The 34-year-old – who has 32 podium finishes to his name – has struggled during the start of the 2024 campaign.

Teammate Yuki Tsunoda has displayed how much pace there is in the VCARB 01, but so far his Australian teammate has struggled to extract it.

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Paul Stoddart says Daniel Ricciardo needs to get his confidence back

Minardi raced in Formula 1 for 20 years but failed to secure a single podium finish in that time.

They existed in F1 at a time when pre-qualifying was required and plenty of small teams were coming and going at a rapid rate.

However, they survived and helped develop some brilliant drivers during their time in the sport.

The likes of Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli all raced for Minardi.

The experienced Australian was the team’s owner for the final five campaigns before they were taken over by Red Bull.

Stoddart’s team are now known as RB after plenty of rebrands and he has said that their current driver Daniel Ricciardo needs to get his confidence back after a tough start to the season.

Although reports that his seat is at risk appear to be wide of the mark, he’ll recognise how important a strong showing is in Japan this weekend.

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Daniel Ricciardo given advice after tough start to 2024 season

Talking about his former team and one of its current drivers, Stoddart said: “It’s still here and a lot of teams aren’t, and it’s still going strong.

“I think this year what I see, and it’s still early days, but I think you’ll see them up in the genuine midfield, P5/6, somewhere there.

“The package they’ve got is good enough to do that. The drivers they’ve got… Daniel [Ricciardo] needs his confidence back but he’s a good driver and he’s a better driver than you’re seeing at the moment.”

As Stoddart suggests, Ricciardo needs to find a way to get his confidence back in the car, but his weekend in Suzuka isn’t going to get off to the easiest start.

He’ll be sitting in the garage for FP1 on Thursday with RB electing to hand that session to rookie driver Ayumu Iwasa.

Liam Lawson is also itching to get back onto the grid after his five-race stint in Ricciardo’s car last season.

The pressure is building on the 34-year-old who looks closer to an exit from the sport altogether than achieving his dream of returning to Red Bull.