Ricciardo hopes to put pressure on Mercedes

Given the history of Mercedes on the Singapore route, and a more than difficult 2015 edition in the German clan, Red Bull Racing hoped to play the leading roles in qualifying. If Daniel Ricciardo partly succeeded in his bet, namely starting from the front row, the Australian could do nothing to rise to the level of Nico Rosberg in Q3 this Saturday.

“The first line is a good thing, commented Ricciardo after qualifying in the Singapore paddock. Pole would have been a better result, but Nico put out an extraordinary lap, and showed that he had a better pace than us... We got in between, and I hope we can put pressure on the Mercedes. »

The teammate of Max Verstappen, the latter finishing fourth behind the second Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, also admitted to being delighted with the small adjustments made between practice and qualifying. “In testing, we were still finding small details on the car.

It finally worked in qualifying and the pace was there. The last lap in Q3 was good, not good enough against Nico's, but good enough for the front row. »

The other interesting question in view of the race remains tire management. Red Bull Racing has once again taken the gamble of concluding the second part of qualifying with a set of super-soft tires for its two drivers, who will start the race on a different strategy to that of Mercedes.

“Of course we think it’s a good thing. » adds Ricciardo. Ultra-soft tires will remain the majority choice for Red Bull's other rivals, starting with Mercedes.

The Singapore Grand Prix will be followed tomorrow live with our live text from 14 p.m. Photos of the event can be viewed in our dedicated gallery.