Ricciardo on midfield: "We think three teams are within a tenth"

Daniel Ricciardo has been in a Formula 1 car again last week. Although it was a car from 2018, the Australian was happy to get used to the feeling of a Formula 1 car again. The best man predicts an exciting season in midfield.

"The first rounds felt a bit crazy and your body has to get used to it but at the same time you don't lose it and get used to it very quickly. But I'm glad we were able to make some rounds." The teams were only allowed to drive laps if they used a car that was at least two years old. It had its advantages: "Driving a car that was two years older showed me how much a car changes within two years. That was fun to experience", Ricciardo says in the podcast F1 Nation.

Expectations towards Austria

In a few weeks the gentlemen will finally start in Austria and Ricciardo is also looking forward to it. The question is whether there will be more chaos than usual because the riders might get a bit rusty after a mandatory break of a few months: "Yeah, after all the banana peels I'm going to throw", the Australian jokes. Then a bit more serious: "I think we have enough time to get used to the car again in the days before the race but it will be exciting. Especially since we don't know yet how many races we will be racing this season."

Ricciardo will drive for Renault this season while he will defend the colours of McLaren next year. As for this season it seems to be getting busy around midfield again: "I think we are close to the best teams in midfield given the testing. It's hard to see exactly where everyone is, but we think three teams are within a tenth, hopefully we are in the front", the Renault driver concludes.