xpb Unpleasant questions in Montreal
07.06.2018
The most important question before the race weekend in Canada was whether Monaco winner Daniel Ricciardo would receive a starting place penalty or not. Immediately after the Monaco race, team advisor Helmut Marko had already confirmed that the Australian would be able to avoid a relocation at the request of a uto motor und sport . Statements by Adrian Newey to the British media directly before leaving for Montreal had called that into question.
'As of now, I will not get a penalty,' Ricciardo explained to the journalists in Montreal. For the Canada weekend, Renault's Monaco winner's car was equipped with a new, more powerful internal combustion engine, a new turbo and a new MGU-H. The MGU-K and the battery were transplanted from the engine package that was expanded in Shanghai. This means that the driver is still within the penalty-free limit for all components.
Ricciardo dreams of a second victory in a row
'But at some point it will catch me - maybe even in Paul Ricard,' sighed Ricciardo. “But we want to delay the penalty as long as possible so that it doesn't hit us again at the end of the season. I also really want to take the momentum from Monaco with me here to Montreal. With the small power upgrade and the hypersoft tires, which fitted us well in Monaco, maybe something could go. Two wins in a row, that would be really nice. That would have been difficult from 15th on the grid. ”
Despite the Renault upgrade, Ricciardo doesn't believe that Mercedes and Ferrari can be beaten in qualifying. “But we should at least be a little closer. I hope that in Q2 all the top teams have to ride the Hypersoft so that everyone has to start on Sunday. That should provide a little more excitement in the race, if the tires don't last that long at the beginning. ”
Verstappen reacts sourly
In contrast, team-mate Max Verstappen is currently not seeing any wave of success see. After the messed up Monaco weekend, the Dutchman had to put up with some unpleasant questions in Montreal. “I've heard the criticism and advice that I should change my approach. But that won't happen, ”said the youngster defiantly. “It brought me to where I am now. That's why I don't listen to such comments. I'm still doing my own thing. '
Verstappenresponded visibly annoyed when it came to the crash series: “Of course, the start of the season wasn't to my taste. There were a few mistakes, especially in Shanghai and Monaco, but there is no point in talking about them all the time. I'm slowly getting enough of that. I have the feeling that there is nothing more important than asking me about the last weekend. ”
When an English colleague dared to follow up on the series of mistakes in the first six races, Verstappen reacted really pissed off: “As I said at the beginning, I am slowly getting tired of all the questions. If I get a few more of them, I'll have to give them a head-nut. ”
Although even team boss Christian Horner had asked his protégé to rethink things, the pilot himself doesn't see the matter as bad. “It was actually only my fault twice. In 2016, however, I had three accidents at a single race weekend in Monaco. So it's not as dramatic as people claim. Of course, I don't have as many World Cup points in my account as I should have. But that wasn't my fault alone. '
Ricciardo offers support
But Verstappen couldn't just talk away the crisis. Even team-mate Ricciardo offered moral support: “After the Monaco weekend I asked him if we should have a few beers. But he refused. I'm not going to give him clever advice without being asked. But of course if he were to ask me, I would be willing to help. We have a very good team here. Nothing is being kept secret. ”
How long Ricciardo will stay with Red Bull is still unclear. When asked whether Mercedes or Ferrari had contacted him about an obligation, the man from Perth replied with a telling “Maybe!”. And when asked whether the good results of the last races would have increased the price of his signature, the pilot grinned broadly and said: 'I think so.'
