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Daniel Ricciardo feels that AlphaTauri will be more competitive in the race compared to its rivals. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda after qualifying, the Australian driver expects some of their rivals who qualified ahead of them to be slower in the race.
Qualifying 15th in the session, Daniel Ricciardo has been promoted to 14th after Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll’s penalties. The Spanish driver had a ten-place grid drop for changing components on his car, whereas the Canadian got handed a five-place grid drop for speeding under hello flags in the practice session. The 34-year-old driver was the only AlphaTauri to clear into the second session of qualifying.
Asked by Sportskeeda if AlphaTauri had a better race car in Las Vegas than a qualifying car, Daniel Ricciardo said:
“Yeah, so P2 yesterday, we were definitely not great on one lap. But our long run pace was actually more comparable to the Astons and definitely some quicker cars. So already last night, we're like, okay, we're going to try obviously get through qualifying, but gave us some confidence for the race. And I feel Yeah, obviously, I feel that now going into the race tomorrow. I think I know why we struggle on one lap . But in the race we have 50 laps to get the tires working and to get our car in bit of a sweeter spot. So I think that'll definitely bring us closer to top 10.”
Further asked why their tyre warmup took longer at the street venue, Daniel Ricciardo explained:
“Yeah. exactly. So we were doing a build lap and even then we still don't feel like we're probably quite ready for the first sector. So it's, um, and then on the contrary, we know that's where Haas is actually really strong, which is getting the tire to switch on really quickly and extracting grip in a short amount of time. But then typically, that's where their races sometimes fall away from them. So we knew after doing a few laps yesterday that this surface was really going to suit them. I saw Kevin did a I don't know P7 our P8 in quali. So hopefully, yeah, we can do the contrary in the race tomorrow. But still tricky.”
The long run pace of the AlphaTauri was quicker than some of the quicker cars in the top 5 and they were the only team to manage race simulations on the hard tyre in FP3. Optimistic to move further up the grid in the race, the Australian felt many of AlphaTauri’s rivals looked good in qualifying but could trail off during the race. Overall he believes they will be better with their tire management in the race which could aid them further up the grid.
A key area the AlphaTauri struggled in the qualifying session was tire warm-up in their build-up laps. Daniel Ricciardo took an average of three laps to warm his tires before attempting a qualifying lap. Explaining the scenario, the Perth-born driver claimed that they were not able to get their tires to switch in a short amount of time like rivals Haas. He felt the track surface suited the American team's car, which is the reason why they were able to optimize their into the optimum temperature window more quickly.
Daniel Ricciardo points out qualifying issues at the Las Vegas GP
Daniel Ricciardo felt the low grip surface did not suit their car which resulted in their poor performance through the practice sessions in the build-up to the Las Vegas race. The Australian reckons they had to make improvements to their car to improve the performance in qualifying. Confident with his race pace, he felt he could come through to finish at a better position than the one he started at. The 34-year-old claimed they had a tough start to the weekend when it came to their tire performances and made improvements by qualifying.
Explaining the performance in qualifying and their poor practice sessions, Daniel Ricciardo said:
“I mean, coming into the weekend certainly would have envisaged below. But after after last night, and then this morning on this morning and this afternoon, I dont know. P2 and P3, we were quite aware that this was proving difficult for us. I think, ultimately, just this low, low grip surface, we struggle a bit more on to just extract the get the most out of the tire on one lap. So that's where we struggled. And I think first sector as well shows that where our second third sector is a little more competitive, but first sector we are miles back. So we are just getting kind of that tire work and it was tricky for us. We were looking pretty ugly this morning. Well FP3, I'll just say that because I don't know what time of the day it is.”
Further explaining their improved performance in qualifying, Daniel Ricciardo added:
“So we did make some pretty good improvements for quali and actually getting into q2, I had a smile on my face. So I know it certainly P15 and of course we want more. But we definitely made our car better. And that obviously gives us a bit more of a smile for the race that we can. Yeah, have a better long run pace and hopefully come through some maybe cars qualified good, but hopefully don't race so good.”
Starting 14th on the grid, Daniel Ricciardo has front runners such as Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez alongside him. The AlphaTauri is expected to be quicker than the race but the Australian’s performance will come down to tyre management and the degradation. With little to no room for overtaking on the new street venue, perfect pit stops and strategy will be key to maximizing the performance and result. Currently, the Faenza team is running eighth in the championship as they look forward to eclipsing Williams for seventh place with two rounds left on the calendar.
