Ricciardo ends Q3 in the wall in Baku
Max Verstappen, who set the fastest time in the first two practice sessions, will start from 5th position on the grid. Daniel Ricciardo cut his chances short by hitting the rail too close, ending his session prematurely. He will start from 10th place.
The weekend seemed to start well for the Austrian team. Expectations were high after the first two practice sessions, where Max Verstappen finished in first position. Saturday was a completely different story, particularly during Q3, with a technical problem for one and a premature stop in the barrier for the other.
Max Verstappen => 5th (1:41.879)
The Dutchman was having an encouraging and positive weekend until today. But between rivals improving and technical issues in Q3, he didn’t reach the position he was aiming for: « The car was behaving very well in qualifying. I just had a bit of trouble getting the tires to work in the first sector. Apart from that, everything seemed to be going in the right direction. I think we could have reached 3rd position, which would have been a fantastic result on this track. »
He reflects on his last flying lap in Q3 and what happened: « During my last attempt, I was at least three tenths faster on my best time. Unfortunately, I lost the synchronization of my gearbox in the second sector. It was very frustrating because I lost several tenths that might have allowed me to reach third position (…). »
Nevertheless, the goal remains significant, being on the podium: « Once again Mercedes made a big step forward today. I don’t think we can be close enough to them. However, we’ll try to compete with Ferrari in the race. The goal is to reach the podium, which would be great. »
Too bad our last run in qualifying wasn’t our best. But our race pace is good so I’m giving it my all from P5! #keeppushing #AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 pic.twitter.com/xyWdd2lLoA
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) June 24, 2017
Daniel Ricciardo => 10th (1:43.414)
Urban track means no room for error. Unfortunately for him, Daniel Ricciardo found out the hard way by pushing hard during his timed lap. He ended up getting too close to the wall. The Australian reflects on the premature end of his session: « It’s obviously very frustrating to end up in the barriers, but in Q3 you try to extract the maximum from the car. I was trying to gain more speed at turn six, and I lost control of the rear on the exit of the turn and then hit the wall. (…) I was pushing hard and was on the edge of grip. »
His mistake doesn’t delight him much, but Daniel Ricciardo appreciates urban tracks. They allow you to push the limits as a driver. He explains on this topic: « I appreciate urban circuits. They show you when you’re at the limit and you pay the price if you exceed it. »
However, all is not lost for the race and every hope is allowed to perform well, as the car’s behavior is quite satisfactory: I thought we could fight more at the front today. The Mercedes times were really too fast. They seem out of reach, but Ferrari is not far from us. This weekend Max (Verstappen) and I are satisfied with the car’s balance. It responds quite well. We have therefore made good progress. I am not desperate for tomorrow. On the contrary, I think many things can happen here even with just one stop. »
Pushed it hard in Q3 and got caught out by the wall at Turn 6. Will have to fight from 10th tomorrow #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/EcRgsBergN
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) 24 juin 2017
