Red Bull 'not the quickest' at Suzuka, insists Ricciardo

After last week's win in Malaysia, the Red Bull team is in the unaccustomed position of being talked up as race favourites ahead of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix. But Daniel Ricciardo insists that they still need to be even quicker to really worry their rivals.

"We're getting better for sure," he acknowledged. "[But] I'm still not sure we are the team to beat.

Ricciardo was third fastest in the damp morning practice. Neither he nor team mate Max Verstappen took part in the waterlogged second practice after lunch.

"I think around here today we were not the quickest," Ricciardo insisted. " We had a pretty good car, but I think they've still got a bit of advantage for now.

"We need to find a bit of lap time for them to be a bit more scared and worried," he added. "We were losing a bit on the straight which I don’t think was all engine today.

"It looked like we had more downforce [than the others]. We need to see if this is the best set-up for us, or if we can find a better compromise for the corners and the straights.

"Ferrari also showed this morning that even on the soft they're pretty quick. We'll see. Mercedes can turn it up on Saturday."

The Suzuka weather will also play a crucial role in Red Bull's prospects this weekend, he pointed out.

"Tomorrow we're expecting [rain]," he said. "I think the chance is maybe not as high as it was today - this afternoon looked definite - but I think tomorrow there's still certainly a chance.

"Sunday looks dry at this stage. But if it is wet for qualie then we want to save tyres and try and do what we can then.

• Hamilton tops rain-hit second practice in Suzuka

Verstappen also had rain on the brain after sitting out the waterlogged afternoon session. However he insisted that the team didn't need a wet race to be in contention this weekend.

"No, I think even in the dry we can have a good result," he told reporters after the end of Friday's track sessions.

"Of course in the wet, then for sure we can get a food result.

"Today again was a positive day. The short runs, maybe I couldn't really show it with the red flag [for Carlos Sainz' crash in the Toro Rosso.] But the long runs seemed to be quite positive.

"Maybe we're still a little bit behind Mercedes at the moment," he suggested, echoing his team mate's thoughts. "But maybe the track temperatures going up quite a bit on Sunday - that should help us.

"I think in qualifying they can still turn up their engines - we can't. But in the race it can be quite a bit closer," he predicted.

After a problematic start to his 2017 season, Verstappen is now out of the running for this year's title. However that gives him little to lose as he targets race wins in the final five races of the season.

By contrast, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel know they need to prioritise their championship standings and stay out of trouble. That could give Verstappen an advantage on track.

"Maybe," he conceded. "But you know they'll still, if they have the chance, they will try to win the race for sure."

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