Excited Ricciardo sees Ferrari duo within reach

40

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo is keeping his hopes up for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, believing the Ferrari duo that heads the grid is within reach.

The Aussie qualified fifth in Saturday's evening session but will start on the second row thanks to Lewis Hamilton's five-spot grid drop.

Ricciardo considered the 0.4s deficit with poleman Sebastian Vettel as an encouraging sign, and one which offers good prospects for Sunday given the race pace of his RB14.

"In a way it was closer than expected," he said after his qualifying effort, speaking to Sky Sports.

"I think to pole it was maybe four tenths or something, that's encouraging. But it's still frustrating to be at the tail end of that.

"The lap, there were bits and pieces, probably a tenth left on the table but I don't think there was more than that to get myself further up the grid. I think Lewis still had a couple of tenths on me.

Verstappen blames 'power surge' for qualifying crash

"Yeah, frustratingly close but encouraging that there was no big gap."

Ricciardo's performance in free practice on Friday hinted that his Red Bull's speed on the long runs bodes well for the 57-lap event.

"Practice and qualifying are okay but Sunday is my favourite day of the week," he added.

"Yesterday our race pace didn't look bad but our car in the second practice wasn't as good as it was in FP1.

"That's encouraging to know that our car will be even better than what we showed yesterday and hopefully puts us in the fight."

Asked whether he could realistically take the fight to the Scuderia's chargers up front, Ricciardo reckons he can.

"It's not a long shot, I think its within reach, so looking forward to that. And hopefully in 24 hours time we can do a pretty cool interview after a good race!"

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.