Ricciardo is frustrated by Mercedes’ advantage

As a reminder, the former Toro Rosso driver is a second behind Lewis Hamilton, who set the two best times in each session. The only satisfaction in the paddock is that the Red Bull is the best car behind the Mercedes.

In the columns of Autosport, Ricciardo admits that it was not a surprise to see the silver arrows in the first two positions. According to him, the advantage that Mercedes is accumulating will be difficult to close.

The Australian gives a clear assessment: « We are making progress but unfortunately Mercedes doesn’t seem to be slowing down, currently they are a bit out of reach. » When asked “are you surprised” he responds: « I am a little frustrated, not surprised because they are already so strong. »

The Australian’s goal is clear, but he hopes for a better future: « I hope we can close the gap a bit more, we’re trying to catch up with them. I think third place will be the target this weekend. It would be nice to fight for a win soon, but currently they are too strong. »

Black weekend ahead for Vettel?

The four-time reigning world champion completed only four laps on Friday morning before his car broke down, costing him a day of work to replace the wiring.

However, to Autosport Vettel downplays his worries: « It’s a small failure with big consequences. We decided to change everything in the car and unfortunately, it’s a big change. There are sensors everywhere in the car, so it takes some time to remove the sensors from the car and dismantle everything. »

The four-time reigning world champion hopes to make up for the lost time: « I hope we can make up for the time lost yesterday because it would be very sad if we didn’t. »

The German driver is pleased with his teammate’s performances: « Daniel did a very good job this Friday so I think we are in a good position to gather the necessary information. »