Formula 1

Daniel Ricciardo hopes Barcelona upgrade is Red Bull's magic bullet

Published Apr. 27, 2017 6:33 p.m. ET

Adam Cooper

Daniel Ricciardo is hoping that a major Red Bull chassis upgrade for the Spanish GP will move the team into the fight with Mercedes and Ferrari.

Red Bull has lagged behind its rivals in the first two races, although it was closer in Bahrain than in the previous race in China.

“I’ll use the word hope, not expect,” he said of prospects for the new package. “I hope for a bit of a bullet: something fast. We want to be in a three-way fight with Ferrari and Mercedes. So, that’s what I would hope for, something that puts us in that fight. I look back at least year and think here in qualifying we were over 1.5s off pole, and then we went to Barcelona and we were about half a second off pole, and we made some gains, and then obviously in Monaco we were quick.

“It’s a time of the year where we should start to see these updates take place and some performance really start to come out of the car. I’m hopeful of that. We just need a bit of everything now. We’ve talked a bit about downforce, feeling a bit in the rear. We’ve had a bit of time to look at Ferrari.

“They’ve been in front of us for a few races, and we can study them for a lap or two before they get too far away and they look strong. Mercedes as well, they’re just carrying a bit more grip in the rear, and that’s where all the lap time is in these cars these days.”

Ricciardo believes that the upgrade will make a difference: “I’m confident it’s going to be better than what we’ve got now and for now that’s all we can ask for is an improvement. A bit like last year. We made that step, and were able to just keep chipping away at it. I think to make that first step is important. I believe we will get that in Barcelona and then let’s see where it puts us. If it puts us within half a second, then I think we’re in striking territory soon after that.”

Ricciardo is adamant that there’s been nothing lacking from his side in 2017.

“No, nothing’s missing in the driver. I haven’t forgotten anything. I think just with the car – we know that we can do better, I guess. I think we’ll see that in Barcelona. I think the team’s learned a lot from the past, from testing, but also the past few races and also with our feedback, myself and Max’s feedback.

“I think we’ve been targeting the same things and I think now the team has really understood the point on the car to work on, to focus on and that’s why now they’re bringing this update for Barcelona and that’s as soon as it can come.

“That’s pretty much that, so for everyone asking why isn’t it here for this weekend... it takes time to build the parts, basically, and then to put them on the car. They test them and then it takes time for the development and all the process but from Barcelona we should be good. From a driving point of view, I feel good, very good.”

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