Lack of rear downforce Red Bull's main weakness

After a disappointing Australian Grand Prix, where Ricciardo and teammate Max Verstappen were unable to challenge for victory, the team has spent the time since trying to work out where improvements can be made.

But Ricciardo believes that video of Ferrari and Mercedes in action in Melbourne has told him everything he needs to know about where their advantage is.

"I think for me at the moment, we don't have enough rear grip – so downforce basically," Ricciardo said in Shanghai on Thursday.

"But to be honest, I don't know if it is we don't have enough or we haven't set the car up in the right way.

"I still feel that we haven't got the most out of the downforce. But I think in Melbourne, if I watch some onboards of Ferrari or Mercedes, it looks like they have more rear grip than us – so probably we don't have as much as them period.

"I don't think we have understood it well enough yet to get the most out of it with set-up and ride heights, that sort of thing."

He added: "For me and probably Max as well, we just felt that looking at Ferrari and Mercedes, we couldn't attack the corner as much because they just seem more planted on the rear. Even on the high speed, we can kind of match them, but I feel we are like this [up to our neck].

"There was an onboard from one of Kimi's best laps from testing, and Turn 3, I think the top teams are doing Turn 3 full [throttle], and he did it – and he didn't even use all the track.

"He didn't let the car run out to the edge so wow, he has got some downforce. I think it is something we knew from early on, that that is an area we have to work on now."

Set-up changes

Red Bull's efforts in Australia were not helped by the team struggling to find a good set-up on its RB13 around Albert Park.

Ricciardo said changes had been made on that front, with the team reverting to a 2016-style of settings in a bid to help him and Verstappen get more comfortable.

"I definitely believe we have learned some stuff from Melbourne with setup, and we have a few bits and pieces here, that should help us have a bit more grip in the rear," he said.

"There are a few other things that came out that I don't expect us to be as far off as in Melbourne. I feel I come here with a bit more of a comfortable car.

"We have probably gone back to a similar thing to what we had last year with a few things on the setup, so it should be something we are probably more used to both of us.

"I think from a driver comfort point of view, we should be better off and hopefully that means we are faster as well. It should be more familiar for us this weekend with some changes we have made."