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Daniel Ricciardo is already watching the season of hell after only two races while his career at Renault has suffered a second blow with so many starts.
After retiring from the Australian Grand Prix, which had opened the season, Ricciardo was again unable to cross the finish line in Bahrain, his car causing him to lose his head.
Starting 10th on the grid, Ricciardo was in the lead after 15 laps as he stayed on the track as those around him went to the pits. But his joy was short-lived as mechanical problems paralyzed him once more.
On a one-stop strategy, the Australian returned to 10th place, while rivals on a two-stop strategy had no problem doubling it. Life then worsened with the loss of power, which forced him to participate in a second DNF in 2019, a few laps from the end.
Ricciardo said that "everything was perfect" for his car and that the chagrin was real for Renault. Teammate Nico Hulkenberg of Australia, who was sixth, also had engine problems in the same lap, almost at the same time, which caused him to retire and cost the French team all hope of winning. points.
This was particularly devastating for Hulkenberg, who had crossed the pack to move from 17th to 11th place in the opening lap, then up to sixth place before being brutally cut off.
RISK OF ELECTROCUTION WHEN RENAULT IS BAD
And if that was not enough, there was more drama to follow. Ricciardo left his car on the track and did not replace his steering wheel, which led him to be summoned by the stewards.
However, his justification for not letting his steering wheel in was for safety reasons, while he was attempting to "avoid any potential electrocution". According to Motorsport.com, Ricciardo's car energy recovery system has alerted Renault to the possibility that its four-wheeled vehicle is "electrically dangerous" and forced to jump out of the car without touching it.
"I had the red light on so that I could not touch the car. I did not take any chances, "Ricciardo told Sky Sports after the race. "I do not really want to be electrocuted today."
The commissioners let Ricciardo get rid of his task, considering that it was the normal precaution in such a situation and that replacing the steering wheel would have presented potential safety risks.
Ricciardo also revealed that the one-shot tactic was wrong and that if given more time, a two-stop race would have been a better option, as was his competition.
"I had the impression that we had exceeded a point in the first stint where it was too late to come back (one-stop strategy) and that it was about that time that I knew it was not the best thing to do, "says Ricciardo.
"If we had made the double shutdown, we would have gone behind everyone and we had to get involved. In hindsight, even during the race, we knew it was not the best thing to do. We tried C & # 39; was the idea. But I think one stop would have been much more preferred.
"At that time, I wondered maybe it was already too late. So we'll see if we could have saved something. If we were still in this kind of limbo, we will try to make the right decision from both. "
RICCIARDO REGRET BOLD WILL IT MOVE?
After the Bahrain disaster, Ricciardo will wonder if he made the right decision to leave Red Bull after the off-season, when he had already bombarded Melbourne on his first yellow and black start.
Ricciardo ripped off his flapper a few seconds after the lights went out at Albert Park when he left the track and retired in the middle of the race. He was furious at the time, but before the second race of the season, the 29-year-old said he was optimistic and that he was trying to put the horror of his city behind him thanks to a strong performance in Bahrain.
Unfortunately for the Western Australian, his season has worsened and he will suffer even more if his former Red Bull colleague Max Verstappen gets off to a good start in the new campaign.
After winning a podium in Melbourne, Verstappen beat Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel and finished fourth in Bahrain. Lewis Hamilton won the race ahead of Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas.
The young Ferrari pistol, Charles Leclerc, was third, but it was a difficult result to swallow after his start in pole position. Leclerc and Vettel were running first and second in 20 laps, but Vettel turned around and Leclerc had reliability issues with his engine, which allowed Hamilton to overtake the 21-year-old driver. to deprive him cruelly of his first match. never win F1.
Related: the double "incredible" disaster of Ferrari
Ricciardo left Red Bull after many mechanical failures, many due to the Renault engine. Fed up with recurring problems, the energy drinks team has changed electricity supplier in 2019 and is badociated with Honda.
This relationship seems to be flourishing – although there are clearly some problems to be solved as Pierre Gasly (eighth) struggled to find the pace and the top four of Verstappen was helped by Vettel's blunder – while Ricciardo's decision to defeat Renault is a potential nightmare.
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