After difficult start to 2015 season, Red Bull driver seeking best result yet in Barcelona
Tuesday 12 May 2015 13:52, UK
Daniel Ricciardo is looking to improve on a disappointing start to the season at this weekend's Spanish GP.
The Red Bull driver scored the first podium finish of his F1 career with third place at the Circuit de Catalunya 12 months ago, after being disqualified from his home Australian GP at the start of last season.
He went on to score three wins in 2014; however, Ricciardo has not come close to matching those results so far this season, with his best placing a pair of sixths in Melbourne and last time out in Bahrain.
Even that result came at a price – the Renault engine in Ricciardo’s RB11 blew up within sight of the chequered flag – symptomatic of the team’s current struggles. Yet the 25-year-old is hoping for a better result this weekend.
“We’re not on the pace of the Mercedes and Ferrari,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports News HQ. “They’re our target for now; even Williams have been a bit quicker so far, so we need to crack into the top five, for sure, and once we’re there look towards the top three and obviously get back on the podium.
“We’ll have some aerodynamic updates in Barcelona and we’re hoping for a bit more from the engine as well, a bit more power. I think these are the small steps which are going to keep getting us closer and closer.”
Even so, Ricciardo’s engine failure in Bahrain means he will be using his fourth of the season this weekend. A fifth would result in a grid penalty, although the limit is set to be extended.
With former team-mate Sebastian Vettel victorious for Ferrari in Malaysia, Ricciardo added that Red Bull have taken heart from the gauntlet the Scuderia have thrown down to pacesetters Mercedes.
“At the end of last season, I think we were clearly in front of Ferrari but they’ve made a really big step in the off-season,” he said.
“They’ve been the biggest movers so far. For us it’s good to see and we know that a big step like that is possible.”
