F1 | Spanish GP | Verstappen and Ricciardo follow the Mercedes due in FP2
The Dutch talent and his former team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, have respectively set the 3rd and 4th fastest times in FP2.
While Mercedes appears to dominate in Barcelona, Verstappen has confirmed his status of contender of The Silver Arrows with the third-fastest time in the second free practice session. The Dutch talent affirmed that the car has a good balance, and in spite of a significant gap over a single lap, the Red Bull has a good pace in the long runs.
“The car was performing quite well, and overall it was a positive day. Over one lap we are clearly still lacking to Mercedes but on the long runs the car felt nice to drive which is of course what is important for the race.
“We are using the hardest tyre compounds here which is different to last weekend. I would maybe have liked the softer tyres but that is not for us to choose, the tyres are manageable and it is pretty hot out there!
“I expect in Qualifying that Mercedes will still have the edge as they are very fast but who knows in the race. I felt quite good today so let’s see if I feel the same on Sunday when it matters.”
Daniel Ricciardo confirmed the recent Renault’s progress, with a 1:17.868, only one-tenth slower than Verstappen. The Australian driver remarked that it was difficult to find the right set-up at the beginning, underlining that the car has improved significantly during the FP2. Ricciardo added that temperatures will have a huge impact on the overall performance.
“It’s been a pretty good day for us, especially the afternoon’s running. On the timesheets, at least, it’s another decent Friday: third last week, fourth today, so we’ll try and keep that going. Our long run was looking quite competitive as well.
“I wasn’t too happy with the car in the morning, but we made a good step in the afternoon, similar to Silverstone last week. The tricky thing here is the heat. We haven’t driven here in the heat for so long and it’s completely different to what we felt at winter testing.
“We’re trying to understand that, but we got a better grasp on it this afternoon with the tyres in a better place. We have more work to do before tomorrow, but we’ll aim to put in a good one.”
