Red Bull the most serious challenger to Mercedes in Singapore qualifying?
As expected, the Red Bull team was within touching distance of a very good result for the rest of the action in Singapore. Everything went very well on Friday, both for Max Verstappen (first in FP1) and Daniel Ricciardo.
Equipped with a very good chassis and excellent aerodynamic support, the Tag Heuer-badged RB12 greatly appreciates the streets of Marina Bay in Singapore! A remarkable start for the Austrian cars in FP1 with a one-two finish, Verstappen leading Ricciardo, before slipping to third and fourth in the afternoon. A respectable performance nevertheless, four-tenths off the reference set by Nico Rosberg.
Verstappen: « A positive day, we are happy with the car’s balance! »
FP1: 1st -> 1:45.823 (25 Laps); FP2: 3rd -> 1:44.532 (29 Laps)
Regarding the Dutchman, his domination in FP1 was solidified after completing 25 laps. Aggressive as usual, Verstappen didn’t hesitate to push to the extreme limit of the track, very close to the walls, as seen at the exit of the eighteenth corner in FP1. Though he was outpaced by Rosberg and Räikkönen in the afternoon, the driver still managed to stay ahead of his teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
Speaking about his day, the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix winner highlighted the positives but also the areas for improvement going forward: « The car behaved well, we had a good start to the weekend.
We weren’t at the very top in FP2, but we know the areas we need to work on.
The tires worked very well, I was delighted with the ultrasofts, there is still a difference with the supersoft tires. There will be a very interesting battle between our team, Mercedes, and Ferrari. I’m looking forward to it!
Let’s recall here that Verstappen is using the only upgraded version of the Renault engine in Singapore. This will certainly allow him to gain the crucial few tenths in the qualifying battle! The native of Hasselt will aim for the second front row of his career after Spa.
Ricciardo: We have the feeling we can extract a little more speed!
FP1: 2nd -> 1:45.872 (27 Laps); FP2: 4th -> 1:44.557 (26 Laps)
Even without engine improvements, the Australian also had a solid Friday, just a few thousandths off Verstappen each time. (+0.049 in the morning / +0.025 in the afternoon). So, is a front row possible for the Perth native?
« That’s the plan! » he declared to the journalists present in the Singapore night.
This circuit is still just as difficult! You push to the limit on an urban circuit, and since you want to be comfortable tomorrow, you had to attack hard today. I still did a spin and touched the wall, but the car was okay overall.
« It’s hot, the circuit is tricky, but finding additional tenths is still something easy with all these different turns and the tires reaching ideal temperature in the last sector, you can gain a lot. »
On the condition, of course, to always refine the settings further, which the driver marked with the number 3 was fully aware of:
« We will be strong on the track tomorrow, provided we make the right changes tonight! Rosberg was very fast in FP2, but if we get things in order, then we will be very close to them (referring to both Rosberg and Hamilton) in Qualifying. »
As in Monaco, where Ricciardo experienced a terrible disappointment after leading the race for a long time, this weekend is evidently taking on an exceptional character:
« This race is our chance. If each race until the end of the season takes place on dry conditions, then this weekend will be really important for us, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed! »
Felt pretty good out there. More to come tomorrow after a bit of work tonight 🌃 pic.twitter.com/Q3KBShvEyA
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) 16 septembre 2016
