Ricciardo: Red Bull has 'proper' development direction for F1 car
Red Bull now has "proper direction" to develop its Formula 1 car, thanks to better correlation between driver feedback and car performance since May's Spanish Grand Prix, says Daniel Ricciardo

The team suffered from a significant performance deficit to Mercedes and Ferrari during the early races of 2017, qualifying more than 1.2 seconds away from pole position at three of the first four raced and more than seven tenths off in Bahrain.
Ricciardo said during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend in April that Red Bull didn't know how to close the gap, and had perhaps lost its position as the championship's top team in terms of producing and developing F1 cars.
But a significant upgrade ahead of May's Spanish GP allowed Red Bull to qualify within six tenths of pole for the first time this year, and Max Verstappen lapped only 0.318s away in Monaco last time out.
"We've had a bit more consistency with feedback from myself and Max in the last few races, and more of what we're saying is now visible also on data, where early in the year maybe we'd say one thing but it wouldn't always show," said Ricciardo.
"It seems the correlation is a lot better the last few races. Now we're a lot more certain on the direction we need to go.
"From Barcelona, where we had the big update, some bits worked and some didn't and it was more clear to see from that point on what is working on this car and what isn't.
"I think we've got a proper direction now, as opposed to still trying to find a bit in the front and a bit in the rear."
Verstappen reckons the Barcelona update package "stabilised" the car aerodynamically and mechanically and allowed Red Bull to correct any miscalculations with its development tools.
"The new parts stabilised everything a bit more," he said. "Maybe there were some miscalculations and now with the new parts everything is in a better balance.
"And everything we change actually works again, like it should do."

'PRETTY GOOD' UPGRADE FOR CANADA
Ricciardo said Red Bull would conduct further tests with a T-wing in free practice in Canada, having added one for the first time in Monaco.
He feels a "pretty good upgrade" with "quite a few new parts on the car" will prevent Red Bull from slipping back on an upcoming run of power circuits that team boss Christian Horner admitted to being "worried" about given Renault's continuing deficit to Mercedes and Ferrari.
"Our development will match the tracks, so I don't think we'll fall behind too much actually - I think we'll stay in there," said Ricciardo.
"Baku's still an unknown, but here we can be at least third-best team.
"I wouldn't expect to be a second off in qualifying, but let's see."

McLaren-Honda's Stoffel Vandoorne feels he's turned season around
Formula 1 fans pick their ideal grand prix calendar

Latest news
Verstappen buoyed by new handling characteristics of 2023 F1 tyres
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is hopeful the new Pirelli tyres will help further dial out the inherent understeer of the current generation of cars.
Pastrana adds NASCAR Truck Series race to Daytona programme
Travis Pastrana has added the season-opening NASCAR Truck Series race to his appearance at Daytona International Speedway this month.
Turkington continues with WSR BMW for 2023 BTCC season
Four-time British Touring Car champion Colin Turkington will bid for a fifth title in 2023 with the West Surrey Racing BMW squad, the team confirmed on Wednesday morning.
Domenicali: F1 doesn’t want to “gag” drivers
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says the series will “never put a gag on anyone” in the light of the controversial FIA clampdown on drivers speaking out.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.