Lack of rear downforce a culprit at Red Bull - Ricciardo

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Daniel Ricciardo has pointed to a lack of rear grip to explain Red Bull Racing's disappointing performance relative to arch rivals Ferrari and Mercedes.

While Ricciardo's home race in Melbourne was thwarted mainly by an electrical issue which emerged as he was joining the grid, the Aussie also revealed a few interesting findings he gathered from watching Ferrari and Mercedes on-board footage from Australia.

"At the moment, we don't have enough rear grip - so downforce basically," Ricciardo said in Shanghai on Thursday.

"But to be honest, I don't know if it is we don't have enough or we haven't set the car up in the right way. I still feel that we haven't got the most out of the downforce.

"[From] Melbourne, if I watch some onboards of Ferrari or Mercedes, it looks like they have more rear grip than us - so probably we don't have as much as them, period.

"I don't think we have understood it well enough yet to get the most out of it with set-up and ride heights, that sort of thing."

McLaren Honda veto a blessing in disguise for Red Bull

Both Ricciardo and team mate Max Verstappen have described the team's new-spec RB 13 as having a delicate balance and a narrow set-up window.

"For me and probably Max as well, we just felt that looking at Ferrari and Mercedes, we couldn't attack the corner as much because they just seem more planted on the rear," Ricciardo added.

"Even on the high-speed [corners], we can kind of match them, but I feel we are like this [up to our neck].

"There was an onboard from one of Kimi's best laps from testing, and Turn 3 - I think the top teams are doing Turn 3 full [throttle] - he did it, and he didn't even use all the track.

"He didn't let the car run out to the edge so, wow, he has got some downforce.

"I think it is something we knew from early on, that that is an area we have to work on now."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.