F1 | Racing Bulls, Tsunoda ahead of Ricciardo in the first free practice in Australia

F1 Racing Bulls Australian GP – 10th and 12th position for Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo on the first day of free practice valid for the Australian Grand Prix, third round of the 2024 Formula 1 world championship. After Friday's work on the Albert Park track in Melbourne, the Japanese managed to get his car into the top ten, proving to be fast and competitive both in terms of flying lap and race pace.

An important condition that the team hopes to confirm also during the remainder of this weekend. The Australian's feeling, however, is more uncertain, still looking for the best confidence with the car. The objective, in any case, is to take steps forward during the night so as to compete for a position within the top ten already in qualifying.

Tsunoda immediately felt at ease in Melbourne

“On this first day, we are in good shape compared to the last two races. The team did a fantastic job preparing for this event, I can't wait for tomorrow. Obviously, we know that the gaps in qualifying will be minimal, so we need to refine even the smallest details and put everything together to do well. We need to prepare as best we can tonight and tomorrow I will push as hard as I can to get to Q3."

Ricciardo ready to improve

“It was nice to get back on track. For me, Oscar and Valtteri it's really exciting. The crowd is wild as if it were a rock concert, there are so many people here and it's just a day of free practice. I think Albert Park did a good job of having a full house all day.

Those who come on Friday don't just come for F1, but also for V8, Porsche, F2 and F3: there's so much! It's good that Australian motorsport is strong and conquers areas like Finland, with Valtteri. I rode here in 2022, when they had recently made changes to the track. It's much faster than before. The team started this weekend on the right foot, but I think the others found something more in the afternoon.

I think we're still in the mix for Q3 tomorrow. There are a lot of corners here, it's still a street circuit, and you can push the car to the limit. The grip was pretty good and it was fun, but we'll have a bit of work to do tonight, but nothing too big, just fine-tuning the car so we can play our cards tomorrow. In terms of race pace, the mini long-run we did was positive. Let's try to qualify among the top ten, from then on everything will be easier."