Why Ricciardo's F1 resurgence may have emerged at the perfect time
OPINION: The Formula 1 world championship titles may have been decided but there remains plenty to fight for, with Daniel Ricciardo's stunning Mexico Grand Prix performance pushing AlphaTauri up two places in the standings - an increase worth around $20 million - and also heaping pressure on Red Bull driver Sergio Perez
After Alex Albon produced a defensive masterclass at the Canadian Grand Prix, AlphaTauri was brushed to the bottom of Formula 1's 2023 constructors' championship standings. The two points it had scored, thanks to Yuki Tsunoda's brace of 10th-place finishes in Australia and Azerbaijan, looked like they'd only be added to in races of attrition thanks to a car that often went missing during races.
When the AT04 was launched, team principal Franz Tost targeted a top-six finish in the constructors' championship at an absolute minimum. Once the car's lack of performance was exposed, the Austrian was scathing in his assessment of the design team's efforts during a press conference at the Saudi Arabian GP, citing a lack of trust in certain individuals working there.
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Jake Boxall-Legge Autosport’s Technical Editor. Having studied Automotive Engineering with Motorsport at the University of Hertfordshire, West Country-born Jake's original ambition was to design racing cars. During a year between studies in which he accidentally rekindled a love of writing, he took up a Master's in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes. Halfway through his master's year, he was offered a place on the Autosport Academy, conducting occasional freelance duties before becoming the press officer for Formula 2 and GP3 in 2018. Autosport offered him a return to the fold later that year to serve as its Technical Editor. His voice appears on a number of videos and podcasts, and can often be found writing about terrible Formula 1 cars in excruciating detail. In his spare time, Jake enjoys baking and blames his failure to make it past the Great British Bake-Off interviews on his tenuous grasp on choux pastry. His dream is to open a brunch cafe - and his willingness to make outrageous puns in inappropriate situations has earned him the contempt of his colleagues.
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