Peter Windsor unimpressed with official Daniel Ricciardo statement after Silverstone

Follow us on Google Discover

Daniel Ricciardo has been building momentum recently but he lost it during a poor British Grand Prix weekend. Ricciardo finished 13th, a long way from the points.

The Australian had beaten RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the three preceding races. That run included a season-best P8 at the Canadian GP and another points finish (P9) in Austria.

But Tsunoda struck back at Silverstone, prevailing in both meaningful sessions. He qualified two spots ahead (13th vs 15th) and managed to score a point on race day.

There’s only one place between the drivers in the standings after Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg leapfrogged Tsunoda. But the 24-year-old is still nine points ahead of the eight-time race-winner.

Isack Hadjar is emerging as a new contender to replace Ricciardo at RB in 2025. Hadjar drove in FP1 for Red Bull on Friday.

The academy driver is leading the Formula 2 championship after winning Sunday’s Feature Race from pole position. Having been a more immediate threat in recent months, Liam Lawson could now take over from Sergio Perez at the top team instead.

Peter Windsor says Daniel Ricciardo made too many excuses after British Grand Prix

In RB’s official press release after the race, Ricciardo suggested that his side of the garage collectively struggled. He added that they would analyse their mistakes over the course of the weekend in a bid to improve.

“It was a mixed conditions race which was exciting; ultimately grabbing some opportunities, but unfortunately, we were not competitive,” he said. “It was one of those days where we struggled more than we should have, so we’ll try to get into it and figure out why.”

Speaking on the Cameron F1 YouTube channel, though, Peter Windsor took issue with Ricciardo’s phrasing. He feels the 35-year-old should have taken responsibility for the disappointing result.

It’s all too easy, he believes, for drivers to embrace a ‘massive excuse’ instead. Ricciardo’s former teammate Lando Norris has won praise for a self-critical approach.

“The press release from Daniel Ricciardo – everything was ‘we didn’t have a good day’, ‘we need to do better’,” he said. “It wasn’t like ‘I didn’t have a good day’, ‘I need to do better’.

“Yuki Tsunoda didn’t do that badly. It was always ‘we’. Racing drivers love to surround themselves in this massive excuse of all things that can go wrong that are not their fault at all.”

Red Bull make ‘certain’ Ricciardo decision amid Perez uncertainty

Ricciardo started the year in contention to replace Perez at Red Bull in 2025. But even though the Mexican is now at risk of losing his seat, he doesn’t appear to be under consideration.

In fact, one report claims Ricciardo is even more likely to lose his drive than Perez. Many at Red Bull are ‘certain’ that his career is coming to an end.

With more than 250 Grands Prix under his belt, he’s now the fourth-most experienced driver on the grid. Fernando Alonso (389) leads the way, with Lewis Hamilton (344) second and Sergio Perez (269) third.

Red Bull handed him a lifeline last year after they sacked Nyck de Vries. Ricciardo had lost his spot in F1 after struggling at McLaren, and he just can’t seem to capture the kind of consistency that could extend his career.