“The following is significantly harder than last year”: Daniel Ricciardo talks about the difference in overtaking this season

Daniel Ricciardo claims he struggled following cars in the 2023 Las Vegas GP. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, after the race, the AlphaTauri driver felt that it was harder to follow other cars in the 2023 F1 season as compared to their predecessors.

Finishing 14th in the inaugural street race in Nevada, Daniel Ricciardo failed to score any points. With teammate Yuki Tsunoda retiring from the race, the former Red Bull driver was the lone AlphaTauri driver to finish the race. Unable to eclipse the Haas or Williams cars despite being within DRS range, he managed to move only one place up from where he started.

For the majority of the race, Daniel Ricciardo was running in positions between P15 and P20. In the middle of his stint, he was part of a DRS train where the majority of the grid was bunched up, but he was unable to pass any cars in front without losing performance.

While it seemed like he did have pace after the first pitstop, Daniel Ricciardo claimed they had excessive graining on the tires if he followed the cars ahead of him too closely. Having driven only six races in 2023, he felt that the cars this year are compromised on performance when it comes to following the cars ahead.

Asked by Sportskeeda why he was unable to pass the two Haas cars ahead of him, Daniel Ricciardo explained:

“Yeah, it was. So I think there was the Haas and then Williams, they were quite quick on the straights. I think in clear air, we were able to catch them, but then once we got close to them. I know I haven't done a whole lot of races this year. But I feel like the following is significantly harder than last year."

He continued:

"So I'm not sure if that's fact, but it definitely feels that way. So once we started getting closer, we damaged the tires. And that's what made it quite difficult for us. So yeah We’ll I would say pull this weekend behind us, I think just because we've got a short turnaround. But let's say after Abu Dhabi, we’ll definitely come back to this race and figure out some things we missed."

The Australian felt that their starts and restarts were compromised because of the slippery surface and cold tires. Although he was optimistic about their performance after qualifying, he felt they were missing a few elements when it came to tire management during the race.

The 34-year-old driver felt that the slippery surface of the track in Las Vegas made them struggle more. Despite the optimism from the previous day, where he felt there could be opportunities in the race, he felt that they were far from a top-10 finish with the pace they had.

Explaining his struggles through the race, the Australian driver stated:

“Look, I was coming into the race optimistic, I think there's still a bit of a reality that maybe it will be okay, maybe it won't. Unfortunately yeah, maybe it wasn't. We knew the like the race start and restarts, we would struggle because we've just missed something here this weekend getting the tire working on the slippery asphalt, when it's still cold or a new tire."

He added:

"But you know, even without I felt 'okay, after a couple laps, we'll get some temperature and then be able to kind of get back on to the pack'. But we never really got there. And I think the restarts didn't help us. But yeah, that's not an excuse."

He further said:

"It's just something that we liked this weekend, you know, we really struggled, you know, starting stints, I think once it settled, there were a few cars fading at the end of the race. So we had a little bit more pace than them. But we still weren't a top 10 car. So unfortunate."

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Daniel Ricciardo believes rivals not improving in Las Vegas gives Alpha Tauri hope for the season finale

With Williams and Haas not scoring points either, Daniel Ricciardo feels that it is a half-victory in a way as the battle in the championship shifts to the last round.

Hopeful of performing better in Abu Dhabi, the AlphaTauri driver feels that they have some improvements to make after the Vegas race, before the final round of the season. He believes there is a lot of analysis to do to understand their lack of performance in some areas.

Overviewing his race in Las Vegas, Daniel Ricciardo said:

"I'm gonna go glass half full. And, you know, our rivals didn't score. So it gives us a little glimmer of hope next week to still have a crack. But yeah, a bit of a long haul race and just good and especially on restarts and that we went backwards."

The Australian added:

"And we were operating on a different level of grip, compared to the others I was getting overtaken on the outside of turn three, which take my word for it, the outside of turn three is really, really, really slippery."

Daniel Ricciardo concluded:

"So the fact that we're getting me on the outside, I was like, man, we are definitely operating in a different league. So we got some homework to do. Next week is a different story. So we'll focus on that. But I think there's definitely some post race analysis."

Having driven only six races so far in the 2023 season, Daniel Ricciardo has managed to regain his confidence in the Red Bull junior team. His Mexican GP performance remains the highlight of his return, as the former McLaren driver hopes to be back at the top of his game.

The Australian has scored six points in six races, while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda has scored 13 points over the span of 21 races.

Currently, AlphaTauri are eighth in the championship, trailing the Williams F1 team by seven points. With one round left on the calendar, it will be imperative for both drivers to give it their best and round off the season on a high.