Daniel Ricciardo said that he was struggling to find the right balance for the Red Bull Racing car in Shanghai, despite ending the day as fifth fastest and the 'best of the rest' behind Ferrari and Mercedes.
"I assume that most guys are struggling for balance because we seem relatively competitive but the car is a bit of a handful today," he said after the day's two 90-minute free practice sessions.
"I assume it was like that for everyone.
"We saw quite a few guys spin this morning, so the wind was having quite a big effect. Interesting. The long runs seemed more promising at the end with the soft tyre. The pace did not look too bad.
"Looking at the lap times we are fairly satisfied but probably more satisfied that we are pretty close," he added. "But I feel that there is still a lot to come from the balance.
"If we find what I am after, we will be a lot closer. Considering everything today I am pretty happy."
Ricciardo added that the forecast of rain for tomorrow's qualifying session for the Chinese Grand Prix might be a help to the team.
"Could do, I won’t say no," he said. "It should give us a bit more of a chance, so if it comes then we shouldn’t be too bad.
"If it is dry, I’d be happy with the top five. If it is wet, we can try to get in front of Ferrari or Mercedes - at least one of them - so maybe better than fifth if it is wet.
REPORT: Raikkonen fastest as Ferrari leads Mercedes in FP2
AS IT HAPPENED: Chinese Grand Prix - FP2
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