Dakar Rally: Red Bull Updates Fail to Deliver Expected Performance in Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying
(Motorsport News) – In the latest development from the Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda have expressed their disappointment despite an “encouraging” performance with the team’s upgraded car.
The Faenza-based outfit had been on the rise in recent Dakar Rally races and added a number of updates, including a new floor, to the car ahead of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya event. However, both drivers struggled for pace throughout practice and ultimately failed to advance to Q2 in qualifying.
Ricciardo, who managed only the 18th fastest time, a position behind Tsunoda on the grid, acknowledged that the team is still trying to fully understand the new components. “I’d like to think there’s still a bit more on the package to figure out, so that’s something we’ll keep doing,” the Australian said.
Despite the underwhelming result, Ricciardo felt the car had a “much more together” feel in qualifying compared to practice. “I actually didn’t think the car felt too bad in quali,” he added. “I think we’re just not that quick and normally, you put three sets in Q1… it never guarantees you a spot in Q2, but it gives you a much better chance and obviously, to still not make it I think it just shows that we just at the moment don’t have the pace with this current config so we’ll keep chipping away.”
Tsunoda, who was also surprised by his final position of 17th, acknowledged that the team had struggled to maximize the potential of the upgraded car. “The upgrade seems as it is working as we expected. So I think package is working. It’s not doing anything strange, but just purely there’s something this week… and we tried multiple stuff, obviously, but wasn’t able to turn it around,” the Japanese driver said.
Both Ricciardo and Tsunoda expressed confidence that the team will continue to work on understanding the new components and improving the car’s performance in the upcoming Dakar Rally events.
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