Mixed fortunes for Red Bull in Melbourne

The pilots Red Bull made the crossover this Sunday on the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne (Australia). Penalized three places on the starting grid for excessive speed in free practice, Daniel Ricciardo moved up from 8th place to the foot of the podium, while Max Verstappen fell from 4th to 6th place.

For the young Dutchman, his chances of a podium disappeared in a spectacular spin at the first corner at the start of the event. “I had some concerns about the behavior of the car, indicates the bearer of the number 33. On turn 5 or 6, I suffered damage to the car, but I don't know where it could have come from since I didn't hit anyone or climb over the curbs too violently. Maintaining the correct line in the middle of the turns was becoming difficult, and this is what caused my spin. »

In this incident, Max Verstappen lost three places, which he would never be able to gain afterwards. “As soon as you get within a second of another competitor, overtaking them is not easy at all. But with these circumstances, I am happy to score the points for 6th position. »

The child of the country, Daniel Ricciardo stood up with the firm intention of satisfying his supporters. If he narrowly misses the podium (seven tenths behind Kimi Räikkönen on Ferrari), the Australian displayed his usual smile. “I am satisfied with my driving today. I had a few attempts to overtake Kimi at turn 3, but he was always smart and knew what was on my mind. »

Even more encouraging is the pace displayed by the RB14 during this opening weekend. "JHe thinks we are quite close to Ferrari. Our pace in the race is solid, and we only have to scrape a few tenths in qualifying and it should look very good for us.”, hopes Daniel Ricciardo.

Discover the report and analysis of the Australian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Melbourne, in issue 2158 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.