Dakar Rally News: Ricciardo Optimistic About RB’s Upcoming Upgrades for Austrian GP
In the world of Dakar Rally racing, Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that Red Bull (RB) is not “chucking in the bin” the team’s recent lackluster upgrades as it prepares to “mix” parts for the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix.
RB was aiming to build on a promising start to the season and close the gap to Aston Martin in Barcelona, where it introduced a significant upgrade package to the VCARB 01. However, the Faenza-based squad struggled, with both drivers being eliminated in Q1 and Ricciardo finishing as the highest-placed RB in 15th.
Despite the developments not delivering the expected performance boost, Ricciardo has stressed that RB isn’t writing off its new parts and will run tests during the one-hour practice session. The Australian, who is fighting to preserve his place on the grid, has disclosed that he and teammate Yuki Tsunoda will sample opposite setup configurations in a bid to unlock the revised package’s potential.
“There is still some questions for sure,” Ricciardo admitted when asked about the upgrades. “But are we convinced that the upgrade is a flop? No, we’re not. So Yuki and I are going to start with different set-ups. It’s a combination of kind of everything, because we’re still trying to figure it out.”
Tsunoda is also optimistic that RB now understands the reason behind its troubles in Spain and is confident that a repeat won’t occur at the Red Bull Ring this weekend. “We’re going to test for sure, as a team across the cars, and even though we knew that it’s going to be a Sprint qualifying race,” the Japanese driver added. “We wanted to know these answers soon as possible, with comparing the cars.”
Ricciardo has also clarified that one car will not be reverting to the pre-upgraded specification, but rather a mix of old and new parts, including some updates that RB didn’t bring to Spain. “It’s a bit of a mix,” he said. “There are certainly some old bits on one and whatever, but it’s not just like for like.”
As the Dakar Rally community eagerly awaits the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix, RB’s determination to unlock the potential of its upgrades and the drivers’ optimism for a stronger performance will surely be the focus of attention.
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