In their written media sessions ahead of the British Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda shared insights into their teams’ current states and future expectations.
Ricciardo confirmed that the experimentation phase is over for his team as they look to find the right balance between the new and old parts.
“Yeah, I’d say for now the experimenting is done.
“We have both cars on the same stuff this week. It’s honestly a mixture of new and old,” he said.
The team brought several updates to Barcelona, including a rear wing, floor and sidepods, with mixed results. The driver from Perth emphasised that they now have the best possible package, allowing for a more straightforward approach moving forward.
Regarding a specific query about a fluttering rear wing, Ricciardo acknowledged it was part of the problem but not the sole issue.
“We brought quite a bit to Barcelona. Some good things, some not so. I’d say it’s probably like half, like straight down the middle, new and old,” he explained.
“So we at least have more confidence coming into this weekend that we’ve got currently our best package. And should be pretty straightforward now.”
When questioned about the source of the issues, the 35-year-old admitted he wasn’t entirely sure as it’s “above my pay grade”, deferring to the aero department.
“It all goes back to the aero department. It’s then obviously correlation on track, wind tunnel. All these things have to obviously correlate perfectly. And that’s where we didn’t quite get the on-track results we expected.”
Reflecting on his excellent performance in Austria when he finished P9 on Sunday, Ricciardo acknowledged the positive impact of a strong weekend on his side of the garage. He remains cautiously optimistic, aiming to maintain momentum into upcoming races.
“It helps not only me and my future but also my confidence. It helps my engineers’ confidence, the mechanics, everyone,” he said.
“It was definitely a smoother weekend. I feel like it’s starting to come together more the way I envisioned.
“But as we know, it can change quickly. If I have another good weekend here, then it’s like, ‘Daniel’s back.’ If I have a bad weekend, then it’s the opposite.”
Teammate Yuki Tsunoda also shared his thoughts on their current car package. He mentioned they are running a “hybrid package” as they look to assert their authority on the midfield again.
“We use both sides, but mainly, we concluded very well. We have to understand clearly what was causing the issue, but pretty much most of it we covered the reason why we weren’t able to perform.”
The 24-year-old explained that although the upgrades didn’t work as expected, it provided valuable learning and data for the team.
“It actually was good learning for us because it’s a new team and, you know, sometimes the upgrades didn’t work […] tell us to learn, tell us what was the issue and what to move forward for the future,” he added.
Tsunoda confirmed that the problems weren’t just limited to the rear wing.
“We changed pretty much most of the bodywork and also the floor as well. So, the rear wing was slightly there, but it was caused by others to be honest.”
Addressing the competition, Tsunoda noted they have to keep an eye on Haas. The American-owned team took 10 points out of RB in Austria, reducing the gap in the Constructors’ Championship to eleven.
“We have to keep an eye on Haas as well because Haas performed very well and they’re gonna have upgrades this week. They’re pretty fast in high-speed tracks,” he said.
“I think aero efficiency is pretty good with that car so I’m expecting they’re gonna perform well here as well. Our strength is slightly for more opposite side as them more slow slow speed corners.
“We’re still in a very tight fight, and for sure we’re not clearly top midfield car anymore. So, we just have to focus.”
