Daniel Ricciardo was only half a tenth short of the fastest time in FP2. He seemed to be making a serious throw at least a top-five ranking this weekend and maybe even more. This may come as a surprise to many, but not to Ricciardo himself.
“It was another good FP2 as has been the case for us at the last few rounds. We have to do it tomorrow, though, as that’s when it counts. Today was strong, even with the issue at the end. For safety, we pulled the car over as there’s no point taking risks with mechanical issues on Fridays."
Ricciardo knew he was competitive
So even in Barcelona, Ricciardo's car already felt good, but was unable to translate this into qualifying and the race. However, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit seems to be better for the Renault, as it requires less downward pressure. Ricciardo in particular was able to take advantage of this in his fast lap.
"Our low fuel run was a good one. During the lap, I knew it felt good and sometimes you just know when the car’s working. I knew it was competitive and I wasn’t that surprised it was up there on the timesheets. It was a good day and we certainly understood a lot from it.”