There's no point hiding it: Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team, more easily known as Racing Bulls, was one of the most anticipated teams in the three days of pre-season testing in Sakhir, Bahrain. Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes stole the show, but the Faenza-based team was by no means left aside. On the contrary.
The greater synergy that has linked Racing Bulls and Red Bull Racing in recent months first alarmed their rivals, then created curiosity among fans. During the tests, the VCARB 01 executed the program drawn up for it, without however leaving too obvious traces.
Apart from the sixth time achieved on Friday afternoon by Yuki Tsunoda with a set of C4 compounds, Racing Bulls did not produce any fireworks. Indeed, if possible he tried in every way to tone down expectations, to calm the waters. The first to do this operation were the pilots.
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda spoke in unison. At different times, of course, but the substance has always been the same: the car is good, it was born well and it will probably compete for the points zone straight away. But beware of talking about podiums, about Top 6. Now is not the time.
“I think it was a good test. In testing, obviously, you want to see where you are with performance. But above all, I think you need to understand where you are with a car, on a competitive level, to feel comfortable as a driver, to understand the variations in feedback, what does it do? Is the car sensitive? Does it respond? So I think from this point of view we have done a good test”, said Daniel Ricciardo.
Daniel Ricciardo, RB F1 Team VCARB 01
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“Do we want to be faster? And are we going to try to get some more lap times before next weekend? We will. But yes, that's expected too. I know a lot of people were excited about us. But we know what we have. And we know where we need to go And we're not there yet.”
“We're not going to be a podium car at the start of the season. So, yeah, we're just trying to make everyone a little more realistic. I mean everyone, probably just the fans and the outside. I think internally we know where we are. But yes, I did the race simulation this morning and a few short laps last night. I did everything I needed. Now it's just a matter of putting all the data together. Yes… So, it's good.”
As mentioned, Tsunoda also held the same line as his teammate. He too, like Ricciardo, couldn't hide the fact that he had a car capable of fighting for the points. But no more, at least for now.
“Well, for now it looks like a Q3 car, but I don't expect it to be a Top 6 car. But guys, please don't take this as, you know, as… it's still too early to tell. A lot of cars have done time on the I ride hot, so, you know, I'm not… Don't expect me to be high.”
“We are still realistic and we hope that it is a kind of hope. Our mood is more oriented towards the hope of getting to Q3. But, realistically, it is still not easy to fight for the top 10, I would say. Let's see how it goes” .
Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
During the tests the team led by Laurent Mekies did a rather different job compared to what most of the rival teams did. While almost everyone tried to do a race simulation with cooler temperatures and track, as close as possible to the conditions they will find in the race in just under a week, Racing Bulls opted to do the exact opposite.
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda tested the harder compounds (C1 and C2) during the morning session, with the heat and the slower track. The times ranged from 1″40 to 1'37″ high, but divided into three stints on C1 and with obviously different fuel loads. Almost as if they wanted to prepare, more than the Bahrain Grand Prix, the following ones and the first part of the season in general.
During the afternoon, however, both the Australian and the Japanese worked with the softer compounds, evidently to test Sakhir's qualification and have the certainty of arriving ready in Friday's qualifying and being able to play the flying lap card and start faster. forward as possible.
The differentiated work hid the long run performance of the VCARB 01 because the data collected is impossible to compare with that of the others. A perfect way to hide and remain hidden until Sakhir, but this time the scene of the competition, where no one will be able to procrastinate his true being and his true abilities.
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