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Ricciardo: Russian GP result will depend on how the tyres handle

Ricciardo: Russian GP result will "depend on how the tyres handle"

29-09-2018 17:01
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Even though both Red Bull cars will be starting from the back of the grid because of a grid penalty, Daniel Ricciardo still thinks himself and his teammate Max Verstappen could get a good result in Russia, if the tyre degradation goes their way.

The Bulls opted to go back from their C-Spec engine back to the B-Spec, with the former reportedly not being able to perform at its best in the upcoming races. The engine switch meant that both Verstappen and Ricciardo took grid penalties, meaning they'll have a lot of overtaking to do on Sunday.

Red Bull will have free choice of tyre, though, unlike the cars at the front, which could prove to be key in the race.

“Yesterday [Friday] there was a lot of degradation," Ricciardo told Crash.net.

"The temperature tomorrow will be a lot hotter than Friday, so it is going to change a lot.

"We’ll find out, but I’m convinced it is not going to be an easy one stop and a boring race - there is going to be a lot going on.

“In the GP3 race this morning there was a lot of tyre deg.

"It was actually pretty good to watch, so hopefully it is a sign of things to come for us.”

The Bulls will be hoping that the cars at the front will keep each other busy so they slow down, or for a Safety Car or two. A good statistic for them is that until now, every Grand Prix in Russia has seen at least one Safety Car. Game on?