Racing Bulls driver Daniel Ricciardo is “not happy” with his performance in Formula 1 qualifying in Bahrain, but hopes to score points in the Grand Prix
The Racing Bulls team will go into the Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain with grid positions eleven for Yuki Tsunoda and 14 for Daniel Ricciardo. Although Ricciardo set the fastest time in the first practice session on Thursday, he was ultimately beaten again by his team-mate in the more important session
As a result, the Australian is not exactly happy with his performance in qualifying: “I’m disappointed with my position and performance. I didn’t drive like crap or anything, but there was never a point where I could say, ‘Yeah, I did a clean lap’.”
“There were always a few places on the track where I knew I could make up time. But I was never really able to make it happen. Even if I improved a little, I probably lost a bit again in the next corner. So I’m not very happy with my session. “
Tsunoda: Set-up changes have helped
The assessment of his team-mate Tsunoda, who according to his own statements was not satisfied with the set-up of the VCARB 01 during the test and also on Thursday in the first two practice sessions of the year, is different. In the decisive session on Friday evening, however, the car developed in his direction.
“I think P11 is not a bad starting position. I was really struggling with the set-up, especially on my side. But the team did a fantastic job to improve the situation again. The car felt great. Of course it’s frustrating to miss out on Q3 by 0.007 seconds, but I’m very happy with it.”
In return, they were able to save a set of soft tires, which are likely to be in high demand in the race. With a new soft and medium each, as well as two sets of new hard tires, Tsunoda and Ricciardo have plenty of strategic options for the Grand Prix. Looking at the long run times from Thursday, they will probably be battling Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll for tenth place and the final point
What’s going on in the race for Racing Bulls?
“The long run wasn’t too bad,” says Tsunoda. “And historically, we have a car that always performs well in the race. I was more worried about the performance on one lap. I think tire wear will be high, but that’s good for us.”
And Ricciardo also believes that points are possible: “Yes, I definitely think we can still do it. I think everything is close, so there’s a lot at stake. You just have to have that extra tenth in the race and handle the tires better, then you can definitely fight for points. “
“I’m confident to be better than what I achieved [in qualifying]. We weren’t too bad on the long runs. So there is some optimism that we could somehow push forward. I just need to keep a cool head and the rest will take care of itself. “
Ricciardo: Qualifying a realistic picture of where Racing Bulls stand
Racing Bulls therefore looks set to start the new Formula 1 season in sixth place, which the 34-year-old confirms: “We are probably in the top twelve. In terms of the team and performance, we thought we might be able to squeeze out a bit more time. So if we put in a good lap, Q3 would have been possible.”
“But I wouldn’t say we are disappointed. I’m a bit disappointed with my performance. But I think overall we’re not worried or panicking. We are where we thought we would be in the end. “