After a good start to the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship in Australia, Daniel Ricciardo is looking ahead to a exciting race in Bahrain.
For a number of laps, the Red Bull Racing driver was running in the podium places at Albert Park but he was forced to settle for fourth, behind the Scuderia Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.
Ricciardo believes the Sakhir International Circuit holds some interesting places to overtake. After a couple of years of good results in Bahrain, Ricciardo hopes to continue this in the 2016 season for Red Bull.
“I think the track’s always been pretty fun to race on,” said Ricciardo. “I feel I’ve always had good results at this track, and there are good places for overtaking. Since it’s been a night race it’s become a lot more exciting. The tyres last a bit longer and you can push a bit harder throughout the race so it’s been a good challenge the last few years and a place I’ve always enjoyed.
“There’s not really one standout corner that’s like ‘woah’ but it’s all pretty cool and the middle sector is quite fun. Night races are fun, for whatever reason it feels like you go a bit faster at night, so it’s exciting. If every race was a night race it wouldn’t have that same atmosphere so it’s cool that we have a few across the year.
“The track is good for overtaking, the last corner flows quite well and if you can get close for DRS you can get a good run into Turn 1. If you don’t get it into Turn 1, then there’s Turn 4 or the middle sectors where it’s easy to make mistakes. There’s probably four places you can pass on the track which is pretty good. The track does suit us, the last couple of years we’ve had a pretty good result, so hopefully we can continue that this year as well.”
