Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsRed Bull Racing

Ricciardo: Renault update could erase Ferrari gap

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Daniel Ricciardo believes Red Bull will be able to challenge Ferrari towards the end of the season if a Renault power unit update delivers as expected.

Renault is due to introduce a major upgrade to its power unit at the Russian Grand Prix, with the manufacturer yet to spend any tokens on its engine during the season. With Red Bull’s RB11 having been more competitive in recent races, Ricciardo believes the new power unit should put the team on a strong footing for the final five rounds of the season.

“On paper if we gain horsepower and everything we should, it sure should put us in a good position,” Ricciardo said. “You’d think it would put us comfortably alongside Ferrari. But again, it’s one of those things, even last year was like ‘we will get updates, this and that’ and even sometimes on the dyno it might say something but when you put it on track it can be something else.

“So I’ll always downplay it a bit. I’d rather be pleasantly surprised than let down, so let’s see.”

And Ricciardo admits a successful upgrade would bode well for 2016 if Red Bull is still in partnership with Renault.

“It could be a very big turning point in our season and obviously for next year as well. I guess time will tell for now, fingers crossed it’s a rocket!”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.