Daniel Ricciardo was satisfied with his fifth place qualifying result in Shanghai, but feels that Red Bull Racing still have a way to go before they are in a position to threaten Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team and Scuderia Ferrari.
Despite having more faith in the RB13 and the punishment that it can handle, Ricciardo would like to see a further step forward.
“Personally I’m happy with what I was able to get out of the car this afternoon but obviously as a team and as a driver we want more,” he said. “I felt like up until today we still probably hadn’t got the most out of the setup but in qualifying I felt pretty comfortable with the car.
“I could lean on it more or less as much as I wanted but we are still missing some performance compared to Mercedes and Ferrari.
“However, I felt we improved the balance a lot from this morning and we made some bold changes which helped us in qualifying.”
Following a dry qualifying session, rain is anticipated to make a return during the Chinese Grand Prix. However, as Red Bull are struggling with their pace and ability of keeping up with the frontrunners, a wet race may prove more a benefit than a hindrance.
Team-mate Max Verstappen has previously proven himself in the wet and Ricciardo is certainly optimistic that they can take advantage should the sun refuse to shine.
“You won’t see me looking disappointed if it rains tomorrow as the wet conditions always create more opportunities and it will be up to me to maximise those if it happens,” he added.
“We hope to have a good car in the wet; downforce plays a huge role in those conditions so we will have to wait and see.
“Whatever happens it will certainly be an exciting race for the spectators and we will do all we can to be on the podium.”
