Sunday: Vettel steps aside again for Ricciardo at Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo (No. 3) – 4th

After an average start that relegated him to fourth place, which he managed to maintain at the finish, the Australian explained that the race went well: « I started on the dirty side of the grid and got a bad start, spun too much, and lost two places. From there, however, it was still a good race! With Seb, we raced against each other and you always want to keep your position, but the team came on the radio and he let me pass. »

He notably engaged in a timed battle against Fernando Alonso for the podium, in vain: « I did what I could after each stop and we improved the car; at the end, I was doing everything I could to catch up to Alonso and I think we were less than two seconds behind when we crossed the line. Things are going well with the team, I feel comfortable here and I did my best today. I really wanted this podium and we were close! »

Sebastian Vettel (No. 1) – 5th

The four-time World Champion once again had to step aside for his teammate. He explains why he didn’t comply immediately: I stepped aside for Daniel once I knew we were on different strategies. When I was first asked, I didn’t understand because we had the same tires, unlike Bahrain, so I asked again. When the team told me we were on a different strategy, I moved aside and then, as the race progressed, I saw that I didn’t have the pace. There was no point in holding Dan back.

He acknowledges that he’s not comfortable with the RB10 but knows there’s room for improvement: « I am not yet where I would like to be with the car, but it’s an ongoing process; hopefully in the next races we will take a few more steps in the right direction. Our weakness is not in the corners, but on the straights. The first stint was okay, but after that, I’m not sure what happened. »