Mexico GP: Ricciardo's Explosive Rant At Red Bull Car After 8th DNF

Daniel Ricciardo’s frustrations boiled over after yet another retirement at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday with the Red Bull driver now questioning the need to compete in the final two races of the season.

The Australian’s season started with two DNF’s in his first six races, but it also included two wins — in China and Monaco – and after the race in Monte Carlo, he was considered an outside contender for the title along with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

Ricciardo's fortunes, however, have only gone downhill since the race in the Principality with the Australian failing to finish on the podium in the 13 races since. More than his podium absence, he has suffered six more reliability related retirements.

The 29-year-old shocked the paddock just prior to the summer break when he confirmed that he will be leaving Red Bull at the end of the season to begin a new adventure with Renault. It came as a shock to the team, who were expecting him to stay after Mercedes and Ferrari ended their interest.

And his decision to quit the Austrian team has coincided with his continued run of reliability issues with the latest coming in consecutive Grand Prix campaigns. Ricciardo retired early during the United States GP last weekend and after qualifying on pole in Mexico, the Australian’s car ground to a halt with 10 laps remaining.

The Red Bull driver was on course for a podium finish at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Sunday despite losing the lead to teammate Max Verstappen, who went on to win the race. But a mechanical issue saw him pull up to the side of the track while battling for second place with Sebastian Vettel.

Ricciardo is said to have punched a hole in the wall in his room after his US Grand Prix exit, but this time around he was vocal about his frustrations. He admitted everything feels “hopeless” and was at a loss of words to explain why it is only his car that suffers problems on race day.

“I don't think 'frustration' is the word anymore,” Ricciardo said after the race in Mexico, as quoted on Fox Sports. “Everything feels hopeless.”

“You know, honestly, now where I am, I don't see the point of coming on Sunday, I don't see the point of doing the next two races. “I haven't had a clean race or weekend in so long. I'm not superstitious or any of this b-------, but... the car's cursed. I don't have any more words," he said.

“Helpless I think is the best word. Even today, you know, the starts have been good all weekend, the practice starts, and for the race start, it's all over the place with the pre-start. Just things are happening on Sunday which I've got no more explanation for. The car... I'll let Gasly drive it, I'm done with it,” the Australian added.

It is unclear if his rant about the unreliability of his car is a dig at Red Bull, who have made it clear that Verstappen is their number one. In the last seven races, Ricciardo has not finished on four occasions, while in the same period the Dutch racer has finished on the podium on five occasions.