Ricciardo slowed down by broken rear wing

The driving time of Daniel Ricciardo during the second day of winter testing F1 Barcelona's 2019 season was cut short by a broken rear wing. The new pilot Renault was starting his 28th lap when the mechanical failure nearly sent his R.S.19 into the tire wall. 

Asked about the behavior of his car equipped with an enlarged rear wing in accordance with the new technical regulations, Ricciardo responded with a joke saying that the sensations were good “ as long as the spoiler is on the car. When it breaks, it's like taking the next corner with the DRS open. As soon as I touched the brakes, the car spun ». 

If the old driver Red Bull managed to avoid the collision with the barriers around the circuit, he had to return to the garage and that was the end of his morning's work. 

« Repairing the rear wing necessarily takes time and we don't have a lot of spare parts either since these are pre-season tests. », pointed out Ricciardo at midday.

Everyone for lunch?! #RSspirit pic.twitter.com/07RIMjB3r5

- Renault F1 Team (@ RenaultF1Team) 19th February 2019

Before this setback, the Perth native was able to get a first glimpse of the potential of his new mount.

« Yesterday afternoon (Monday, Editor’s note), I was more in the scouting phase, added Ricciardo in the middle of a crowd so compact that it could hardly fit into the Renault motor home. This morning's ride seemed more representative to me.

Before my DRS problem, I was quite encouraged by my 15-lap stint. It's hard to have a clear reference at the moment but the sensations were in line with what I expected. I don't know where we are in the hierarchy but the way I managed to maintain a fairly constant pace throughout the relay gives me confidence for the future. ».

The Australian will get back behind the wheel of the R.S.19 on Wednesday.