Australian Daniel Ricciardo is keen to put the disappointment of his home race behind him and is already eyeing up the Bahrain International Circuit.
His debut for Renault F1 Team wasn’t ideal after he made a mistake on the opening lap in Melbourne and suffered damage to his front wing and nose, which he failed to recover from.
Despite his heartache in Melbourne, Ricciardo is heading to the Middle East rested and recuperated.
“I’m keen to put Australia to one side. It was a pretty frustrating weekend overall, even more so as the pace was clearly there for a good result.” said Ricciardo.
“In qualifying, I personally felt I left something out there, which meant our starting spot wasn’t ideal. There’s not too much to say about the race.
“I quite like the circuit in Bahrain and I hope for an improved weekend. I’ve had a bit of rest and recovery between these two race weekends, so I head there feeling recharged.”
The desert circuit can prove difficult for the teams, especially with the differing temperatures and the first evening race of the season.
However, Ricciardo is confident that whatever challenges Bahrain throws up he’ll be ready for them.
“Bahrain is actually quite a tricky event. Two of the three practice sessions are during the day when it’s really hot and both qualifying and the race are in the evening when the circuit is a lot cooler.
“Adapting to different set-ups is quite key in Bahrain. It can vary a lot between the sessions, so that’s something to keep in mind during the preparation. Any hot race is physical for a driver and Bahrain can be a challenge in that area too.”
Although his home race didn’t go as planned, Ricciardo is already thinking about the perfect spots in Bahrain where he can overtake his rivals.
Keen to improve on his Melbourne performance, Ricciardo is fully focused on achieving the best result possible for Renault this weekend.
“It’s a circuit I’ve always enjoyed racing at. There are some decent overtaking spots on a lap, and it will be interesting to see if there’s any difference in cars following each other there especially down the main straight.
“Turn 1 is a good place to send one, usually there are two, three, maybe four cars battling down there on race day.
“Turn 4 as well can be a nice place to pass if you can find some speed through Turns 2 and 3.
“Hopefully we can be in amongst it this weekend, but first we need to ensure we’re quick in qualifying and be at the top end of the midfield.”
