Red Bull hopeful of strong challenge in Bahrain
Thursday 13 December 2018 12:42, UK
Daniel Ricciardo is optimistic Red Bull can be "very close" to winning Sunday's Bahrain GP if they replicate their race-day form from Melbourne.
Although Red Bull finished off the podium in Australia two weeks ago, the team were heartened by the pace shown by the RB14 when in clear air after Ricciardo set the race's fastest lap.
The Australian, who finished fourth but right on Kimi Raikkonen's tail, says his pace in the closing stages was "very good" and the car had "a lot more" speed in hand.
"I wasn't nursing the tyres and then a few laps before the end I did two easy laps to create some space and then I pushed that lap," Ricciardo said. "I knew I could go quicker, but I didn't think it was that much quicker.
"In clear air we were actually very, very strong.
"If we have the same car on Sunday that we had in Melbourne on Sunday, I think we'll be very close. It's a different track but if those circumstances are the same I think we'll be very close."
Red Bull are set to trial development parts in Friday's practice sessions in Bahrain, believed to include a new front wing, and Ricciardo is hopeful of further progress.
"We have some new parts," he confirmed. "So far it seems the correlation between the wind tunnel and the parts they are putting in is working. That's always a good sign. We have brought a few parts here this weekend.
"We all know the car was better than fourth place in Melbourne but everyone from the team left really encouraged that we actually had a fast car. Everyone is pretty motivated back in Milton Keynes."
However, having described Mercedes' ability to pull away in the final stage of qualifying via the use of more powerful engine modes as a "punch in the stomach" in Melbourne, Ricciardo accepts the Silver Arrows' Saturday supremacy is likely to continue.
"The Mercedes is still going to be very hard to beat," he added.
"If Lewis [Hamilton] and Valtteri [Bottas] put in a clean lap they are still going to lock out the front row in the first few races."
