Red Bull’s Spanish Grand Prix DisappointmentRed Bull’s Spanish Grand Prix Disappointment Expectations were high for Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo at the recent Spanish Grand Prix, following a series of car upgrades based on promising results in Canada. However, the weekend’s outcome painted a different picture. Qualifying Woes Ricciardo and teammate Yuki Tsunoda underperformed in qualifying, finishing 18th and 17th respectively. Despite numerous adjustments to the car’s setup, the pace was still insufficient. Ricciardo’s Perspective Ricciardo expressed optimism before the race but was surprised by the qualifying results. He admitted that the car felt improved from practice but acknowledged that the stopwatch showed no progress. He also highlighted the dichotomy between the car’s feel and its performance. Floor Adjustments While aerodynamic adjustments, particularly to the car’s floor, were made, Ricciardo struggled to maximize their potential. He hinted at a belief that there was more to discover with the package. Emotional Reaction Ricciardo was visibly disappointed with his qualifying position. He expected to make it into Q2 and expressed surprise when informed of his 18th place finish. Tsunoda’s Observations Teammate Tsunoda experienced similar issues and echoed Ricciardo’s sentiment that the car’s performance did not match expectations. Looking Ahead Despite the setback, Ricciardo remains optimistic. He acknowledged the need for further refinement and adaptation of the car. He emphasized that the team would analyze data from the weekend to improve their performance in future races.
Expectations were high for RB’s Daniel Ricciardo at the recent Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, following a series of car upgrades based on promising results at the previous race in Canada. However, the weekend’s outcome painted a different picture: Ricciardo and his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, underperformed in qualifying, finishing 18th and 17th respectively.
The Australian driver arrived optimistic, pleased with the expected performance improvements. Despite the team’s efforts to adjust the car’s set-up after experiencing balance problems during practice, Ricciardo described the overall pace as insufficient. Even after deploying three sets of tires in the first qualifying session – a tactic that usually improves performance – the expected improvement did not materialise.
Reflecting on the changes made overnight, Ricciardo noted:
“(Friday) felt like we were still trying to fight it a little bit, so we made some bigger changes overnight. So yeah, look, we probably haven’t perfected it yet and maybe that’s the encouraging thing. But I feel like we did a good job overnight getting the car to a better place. So I feel like today felt better. I had more comfort and confidence with it, but unfortunately with this thing, the stopwatch, we are still where we were.”
Ricciardo highlighted the dichotomy between the feel of the car and its performance, saying:
“I actually didn’t think the car felt that bad in qualifying. Of course there are some corners where you think it should be flat there or whatever, so you know you might still be missing a little charge. But overall I felt a lot better than (Friday), so to still be back where we are, I think that’s still a little clearer, I guess, so yeah, I don’t know.
Speaking about the aerodynamic adjustments that have been made, especially with the car’s floor – a crucial part that affects the aerodynamics and load on the vehicle – Ricciardo seemed to struggle with the currently unfulfilled potential.
“I’d like to think there’s a little more on the package to figure out,”** he said.
The emotion was palpable as Ricciardo discussed his reaction to the qualifying results. “When Pierre told me P18, I didn’t really have anything to say on the radio because, to be honest, I was quite surprised. I knew we wouldn’t finish P10, but I honestly thought that would have been good enough for Q2.”
Ricciardo’s predicament highlights a broader challenge in F1 racing: the constant fluctuation and variability in performance despite seemingly progressive technical upgrades. His teammate Tsunoda, who experienced similar problems, also hinted at an unexpectedly neutral reaction to the car’s performance in qualifying, as noted by Ricciardo:
“I haven’t spoken to Yuki yet, but I don’t think he was unhappy with the way the car felt.”
Looking ahead, Ricciardo remains optimistic yet realistic about the path ahead, ready to further refine and adapt the car’s capabilities. The racer summarized his forward-looking perspective: “But of course we will continue to do that. On the other hand, I feel like we were a lot more out of balance (Friday) and actually the car felt a lot more together today in qualifying.”
It’s one thing to bring upgrades, but it’s another to understand how to get performance out of them. RB will use this weekend to get data from their cars and will likely come back stronger in Austria.
