Ricciardo puts gap over field down to confidence

Daniel Ricciardo says his advantage over the rest of the field in FP2 for the Monaco Grand Prix was down to confidence in his car.

The Red Bull driver was 0.6s clear of Lewis Hamilton in the second practice session in Monaco, with only Nico Rosberg and Max Verstappen within a second of the Australian's time. Ricciardo is running with the upgraded Renault power unit this weekend but says the advantage was mainly a result of his own performance.

"The engine is a little bit but it’s not … We’ve got a good car around here so I think it’s a little bit down to both," Ricciardo said. "I’ve always said let’s see how we go in qualifying but today I’m happy. This track is certainly one where you can find a little bit more if you’re willing to push it on the limit. I’ve always enjoyed it around here, I felt more comfortable this afternoon with the balance, I think we made good progress.

"I think we are in a pretty good window now. It depends what the track is going to do on Saturday but if it doesn’t change much then I don’t think we’ll be touching too much, just send it on Sunday. I’ve got good confidence with the car now so I think that’s the most important thing with the car around here."

And Ricciardo actually revealed his disappointment at some minor track changes which he says lessens the challenge of the final sector.

"To be honest I’ve always loved the third sector here. Since I’ve come here with Red Bull I’ve always been pretty quick In the last sector in particular. It’s fun, from Turn 12 through the Swimming Pool it’s really good.

"I’m actually a little bit disappointed because they opened up the Swimming Pool this year, the second apex is more open so it’s less of a challenge, I would say, than it has been in the past. I might say something in drivers’ briefing today and see if they can bring it back a little bit.

"Normally the cars are a little bit more sideways through the flip flop and change of direction… today was a bit more a straight line. I’m still enjoying it but I think last year and even 2014 it was more of a challenge."

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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.