Ricciardo has suggested there is one area of performance the VCARD01 is lacking in comparison to its direct competition.
RB heads to this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix sixth in the constructors’ championship after an encouraging opening half of the season.
However, its performances did tail off as Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda combined for just six points in the final four races before the break.
That followed an upgrade that was introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix which missed the mark.
Analysis has revealed the elements of that package which failed to deliver, namely the floor which added the expected load, but with a greater than anticipated impact on car balance.
Understanding that weakness took time, during which Haas gained significant ground in the teams’ competition to now sit just seven points back from RB.
Heading into the second half of the year, Ricciardo has suggested high-speed performance is where the Italian team needs to focus its efforts.
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“I still feel like our, our strengths are in a little bit more than lower speed stuff and our weaknesses are a bit more in the real quick stuff,” the eight-time F1 race winner said.
Ricciardo was classified 10th in Belgium, the last race before the summer break, elevated into the points following George Russell’s exclusion, losing a spot in the run to the line to the fast-charging Esteban Ocon.
“Even Turn 10 during the race, Pouhon, I was like, especially when the team’s ‘alright, we’re going to the end and the tyres look fine…’
“At that point you’re pretty much flat out till the end and even then I felt like Ocon, with lower downforce – because they were quite quick in the straights, so lower downforce – and he was still pretty quick in 10.
“I think real highspeed, we’ve still got to work on a bit.
“All the kind of the tighter twisty stuff we seem to be alright.
“So probably the same characteristics, just now load,” he added of the car’s balance since the team identified the floor issue.
“Load is out friend, so maybe I’ll put on some weight over the break!”
F1 returns with the Dutch Grand Prix from Zandvoort this weekend, with opening practice from 20:30 AEST on Friday.
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