Breaking news
Formula 1 Singapore GP
Red Bull can target "dominant weekend" - Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo believes Red Bull can realistically target a “dominant weekend” at the Singapore Grand Prix after sweeping Friday practice.
Valentin Khorounzhiy
Edited: Sep 15, 2017, 3:27 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Distinctly third-best behind Mercedes and Ferrari for most of the 2017 Formula 1 season, Red Bull has been widely tipped for a Singapore resurgence, with the Marina Bay Street Circuit favouring strength in chassis over power unit.
And the first day of track action at the venue has duly gone according to plan for the Austrian team, with Ricciardo narrowly topping FP1 and then heading a dominant Red Bull 1-2 in FP2.
At the conclusion of the running, Ricciardo insisted he was not surprised by Red Bull's early-weekend form – and reckoned the team had every chance to maintain an advantage.
"I expected this, to be honest," Ricciardo said. "I knew we'd come here with a good car, I feel prepared, so I'm not surprised with our performance today.
"It's important that we obviously keep that tomorrow but I have a lot of faith we can stay there all weekend."
He added: "A dominant weekend is what I'm after. I know the challenge tomorrow will potentially be stronger from Ferrari and Mercedes, but I'm confident we can stay there."
So assured was the Aussie of Red Bull's Singapore chances that he was underwhelmed to only top FP1 by a tenth over the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.
"P1, even though we were quickest I was still expecting more - so P2 was more like it," Ricciardo said, having gone seven tenths faster than the best non-Red Bull in the afternoon.
"We improved it from the morning. Even though I was quickest, I knew we could go better with the set-up.
"We got it, another step, I think we can get another half a step out of it, that's what I'm looking for."
More laptime to come from Verstappen
Teammate Max Verstappen, who ended the day in second but was more than half a second adrift of Ricciardo, was likewise in good spirits.
"The car was working pretty well - of course, can always be better in terms of balance, but if we compare it to our competitors, we looked very strong.
"We didn't expect to be this competitive, but it all looks very good. Of course we know in Q3 that Mercedes and also Ferrari, they have a little bit more to come, so we have to be cautious."
Explaining his deficit to Ricciardo, the Dutchman said: "We all know that Daniel is always very quick here. But my fast lap, I had to abort because [Romain] Grosjean spun, so yellow flag, couldn't use the DRS so makes no sense to continue.
"So there's still some laptime to come, also fine-tuning the engine because in terms of top speed today, compared to the other car, we were not looking great."
Additional reporting by Edd Straw and Erwin Jaeggi
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Raikkonen says "not a lot of things made sense" on Friday
Next article Honda targets top three with Toro Rosso in 2018
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Valentin Khorounzhiy
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
WTCR
WTCR
Hungaroring
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
General
General
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
More from
Daniel Ricciardo
Why Daniel Ricciardo would consider a comeback at Le Mans
WEC
WEC
Why Daniel Ricciardo would consider a comeback at Le Mans
Does Daniel Ricciardo regret leaving Red Bull for Renault?
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Does Daniel Ricciardo regret leaving Red Bull for Renault?
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
More from
Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen slams Liam Lawson for FP2 clash at F1 Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
7 h
Max Verstappen slams Liam Lawson for FP2 clash at F1 Mexico GP
"Slippery as hell" – Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar explain the "extreme" challenge of Mexico
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
16 h
"Slippery as hell" – Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar explain the "extreme" challenge of Mexico
Latest news
MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix: Pedro Acosta beats Marc Marquez in tense sprint
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
3 min
MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix: Pedro Acosta beats Marc Marquez in tense sprint
Ducati copies swingarm fins and Aprilia responds with upgraded version
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
2 h
Ducati copies swingarm fins and Aprilia responds with upgraded version
Jorge Martin concedes 2026 MotoGP title is “already lost” after Malaysian GP withdrawal
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
2 h
Jorge Martin concedes 2026 MotoGP title is “already lost” after Malaysian GP withdrawal
Layne Riggs had no problem with teammate going for the win despite title fight
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Martinsville
3 h
Layne Riggs had no problem with teammate going for the win despite title fight
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe