Ricciardo feels upgraded Renault engine a step forward
Daniel Ricciardo says Red Bull is happy with the step that Renault has delivered with its upgraded engine, as he backed a push to try to get it in the car for the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Australian gave the new power unit its first laps today and, although he only ended up sixth overall on the time sheets, he said the day had gone as well as his team could have hoped for
"Yeah, I think so far we are pretty happy with how it is all looking," he said at the end of the day. "We will see what they find tonight, but it was all pretty reliable and everything ran as smooth as it could I think."
When asked if he could feel the difference compared to the engine used over the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, Ricciardo said: "Yeah. I think so. The progress is definitely there.
"Now to make that next step, that is the last little step we are after to try to really get on Mercedes. But we are getting closer. That is exciting.
"Monaco will be our best chance yet [to win]. We had a good chance at the weekend – but for pure speed, Monaco should be interesting."
Fast-track introduction
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said last weekend that his outfit would be happy to take the upgraded engine one race earlier than planned, if Renault was happy to do so.
And Ricciardo said he too would be open to such a plan to bring forward its debut from Montreal, even though Monaco is not a power sensitive track.
"We will try to take what we can, but we will see," he explained. "If we can get it, for sure we would love it. It will be a matter of time for now."
Share Or Save This Story
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
Max Verstappen: Smaller team-mate gaps are down to "easier" cars as Andrea Stella disagrees
Max Verstappen feeling "flu-like" as Zandvoort exposes Red Bull's fundamental problems
The hidden benefit of Max Verstappen’s new F1 deal that Red Bull wants to exploit
Pato O’Ward braces for “street fight” after bumpy Freedom 250 practice
Lewis Hamilton rebounds to fifth after Ferrari fixes Friday struggles
Max Verstappen: Smaller team-mate gaps are down to "easier" cars as Andrea Stella disagrees
Regan Smith joins Kaulig Ram program for two NASCAR Truck races
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Dutch GP sprint race and qualifying
Why Williams problems are worse than previously known
The hidden benefit of Max Verstappen’s new F1 deal that Red Bull wants to exploit
The themes to watch for the rest of F1 2026
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments