Ricciardo: I can still squeeze a few tenths out of the car

After the finish of the Bahrain Grand Prix, a dangerous incident took place between the RB drivers – Yuki Tsunoda, unhappy that the team asked him to let Daniel Ricciardo pass, decided to overtake his teammate and firmly lock the brakes do before Turn 8, and then, as he returned to the track, almost collided with him.

Speaking to reporters after the race, Ricciardo did not ignore this episode. However, in the team’s press release dedicated to the upcoming Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the riders’ speeches did not mention Saturday’s incident.

Daniel Ricciardo: “The first race gave all of us, including myself, the opportunity to get back into shape. Some things went well that weekend and some things didn’t go so well, so now I’m looking forward to the next stage.

I’m happy that we have double stages because it means we can get back behind the wheel straight away after the first race. I stayed in Bahrain for a few more days to rest, but kept myself in shape by playing padel with the boys.

After Saturday’s race we analyzed a lot and came to some interesting conclusions. To earn points in the short term, we have to run a perfect race. At the same time, I believe that with every race we will become stronger and stronger.

Saudi Arabia is a completely different track and I’m happy to be back behind the wheel. I believe that after the experience of the first race this weekend I can squeeze a few extra tenths out of the car.

I raced twice in Saudi Arabia and my best result was fifth place. This is a great song, I really like it. The grip on the asphalt is quite high for a city circuit, so I’m looking forward to racing on a fast track and the adrenaline rush that comes with it.

The first sector is very fast – after the first and second turns you should be prepared for very strong overloads. Jeddah has a circuit that is physically demanding.”

Yuki Tsunoda: “After the race I stayed in Bahrain for a few days and now I am ready to resume work in Jeddah. At this stage of the season you always want to drive!

There was a lot of attention for our team before the tests, which continued during the preparation for the first race, but we paid no attention to this hype in our pits.

To be honest, I expected more from Bahrain, but in terms of the car’s capabilities, everything turned out even better than it could have been, especially in qualifying. In fact, even the race turned out to be quite successful, but for some reasons it was difficult to see from the outside.

We’ve had a useful weekend, learning a lot about the car and identifying areas where we can improve. For example, the adaptation changes we made between the first and second workouts didn’t work. We made adjustments again and the car looked better in the third practice and qualifying. All these lessons will prove useful in Saudi Arabia.

Our team didn’t just change its name. We have a lot of new things: people, procedures, and we continue to learn how to work together most effectively, while at the same time learning more about the new machine. This process will continue in Jeddah.

Last year I was a few laps short of earning points. I like the track, it’s fast and interesting, and this weekend we get the first chance to evaluate the car on a completely different type of track. There will be virtually no tire degradation and we will be able to evaluate the aerodynamics of the car at high speeds.

The track is fast, the walls are close, so it is interesting to drive. Everyone is motivated to go as fast as possible, improve the car and earn points. We’ve seen how tight the battle is in the middle group, so we know it won’t be easy, but everyone in the team is determined to keep attacking.”