F1 | Ricciardo: “When Vettel has a good car he can be the strongest”

There is concern at Red Bull. Not so much for the car's performance, but for the level reached by some opponents and for Ferrari's newfound competitiveness. He thought about expressing these thoughts Daniel Ricciardo, protagonist of an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

“From the first day of testing, Ferrari made a good impression on me – he said – I hope they continue like this because it would be nice if someone could fight Mercedes. They have improved everything a bit and also seem to be okay with the tyres. I also know that when Vettel has a good car he can be the strongest."

The Australian had occasion to talk about the level of his Red Bull: “Under normal conditions we are roughly with the best, but we are not quite there yet. I believe that sooner or later we will start fighting for the top positions, I hope already from Melbourne. We're in good shape, we just need some speed."

The hope is that at least three teams will be able to fight for the title and for this reason Ricciardo is not upset, aware of what he has seen in past years: "I'm relaxed because I still remember all the problems we faced in the 2014 tests and the fact that we still won three races. So even though we're a little behind Melbourne, I'm not worried."

While considering Hag among the favourites, Ricciardo declared he would see Hamilton still one step ahead of everyone, even teammate Bottas. He also words for Alonso and his umpteenth difficulties with McLaren: “I like Fernando as a person and I respect him a lot as a driver. I'd like to see him at the front again because it's always a good fight with him, but for now it seems very difficult for McLaren to be among the top teams."

Manuel Lai