Ricciardo, faster than Vettel, can “compete with the Mercedes”
For Jenson Button, Daniel Ricciardo will be the one to watch during the Chinese Grand Prix. He believes that the Australian could indeed compete with the Mercedes.
When asked about his impressions for the race, Jenson Button, McLaren driver and 2009 World Champion, believes that behind the two Mercedes, the most impressive driver is Daniel Ricciardo, at the wheel of the Red Bull RB10.
Thus, for Autosport, he explains: « Ricciardo, in the Red Bull, seems very strong. He is much faster than his teammate and capable of doing 7 more laps on long stints. He looks very good and his car obviously works well with the tires. »
Asked about the fact that Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari was able to perform well by taking the 1st and 2nd places in both Friday’s practice sessions, the Briton disagrees: « I don’t think Ferrari is the car that can beat Mercedes. Maybe in qualifying, but for the race… »
In his view, the pace on long stints doesn’t lie: « I try not to look at one-lap pace, because that’s not what wins races. It’s the long stints that win you races. [Alonso] is not as fast compared to Ricciardo. The Red Bull is very consistent: 18 laps in the 1:44 range. I think he’s the guy who will really compete with Mercedes, if anyone is going to do it. »
On his side, Button expects that the race will have much to do with the tire issue, which McLaren does not master: « It’s going to be a bit confusing, I think. The difference is that some manage to make the tires work and others do not. Some cars are able to avoid tire graining and you can see that their lap times are much, much better than ours. »
