Daniel Ricciardo sounded a warning to Mercedes after the first practice sessions for Sunday`s Chinese grand prix, declaring that they should watch out as Red Bull "are coming".
Shanghai: Daniel Ricciardo sounded a warning to Mercedes after the first practice sessions for Sunday`s Chinese grand prix, declaring that they should watch out as Red Bull "are coming".
Mercedes, having won the opening three races of the season, still appear to be the dominant force in Shanghai as Lewis Hamilton topped the times in Friday`s second practice session.
Team-mate and drivers` standings leader Nico Rosberg was third, but appeared to have been hampered on his fastest lap by yellow warning flags waved after Pastor Maldonado crashed his Lotus at the pit lane entrance. With a clear run, Rosberg may have bettered Hamilton`s time.
The Silver Arrows were split by a resurgent Ferrari, driven by Fernando Alonso, after Spaniard had earlier set the fastest time in the first practice session.
Ricciardo`s Red Bull was fourth, just half a second behind Hamilton with his teammate and world champion Sebastian Vettel in fifth, two-tenths of a second further back.
The encouraging session prompted Ricciardo to tell reporters afterwards that Mercedes should be aware that Red Bull "are coming".
But the affable Australian admitted that it would take a little more time.
"There won`t be any deposing going on this weekend," Ricciardo said. "I would like to think that we have caught up, but I think they (Mercedes) have got a bit more in there that they didn`t show today.
Ricciardo had said earlier in the week that he felt "pumped" for the Shanghai race, despite losing an appeal against his Australian grand prix disqualification and he talked enthusiastically about his chances for Saturday`s qualifying session.
"We`d like second row in qualifying tomorrow. That`s the aim at the moment," he said.
"We are making small improvements. The gap is a big one so it`s not going to come down over one race, but I feel that we have crept up a little bit more," Ricciardo added.
"It`s still a big one but we are coming."
By contrast Hamilton, despite setting the fastest time, was unhappy with the handling of his Mercedes throughout the day, complaining of understeer and later saying on team radio: "There`s something wrong with this car. I`m coming in."
Rosberg said it wasn`t only Hamilton having problems given the nature of the Shanghai circuit with long bends under braking.
"Lewis had understeer, I had understeer also, but everybody has that problem here because the circuit destroys your front tyres," said Rosberg.
"You just have to figure out a way round that. Turn one is a tyre killer because it never ends, it goes on and on and on."
Hamilton caused confusion when he was asked if the planned "clear-the-air talks with Rosberg following their acrimonious Bahrain battle had happened on Thursday night and replied: "No."
But Rosberg had a different take on the matter.
"Yeah, we sat down and went through everything," he said. "It`s all behind us and it`s flat out, full speed ahead."
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.