It is unlikely Red Bull’s significant upgrade will see a change in the team’s position in the pecking order, according to Daniel Ricciardo.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit has scored just a single podium so far this season, falling over a second off the pace of their rivals at Mercedes and Ferrari.
Though there are hopes the updated RB13, set to race at next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, could be up to a second faster, the Australian doesn’t expect to be suddenly much more competitive.
“I know we still need to see where we are in Barcelona, but unfortunately we’re too far away from the front at the moment,” Ricciardo admitted.
“Even if we have a good update in Barcelona, it’s hard to see how that instantly puts us on the top step, and we all know that.
“It could take a little while for us to be able to fight for some wins, but we’re optimistic we can make up some good ground.”
Despite his conservatism, Ricciardo stressed the importance of Red Bull’s upgrades working as expected, as the F1 season enters one of its busiest periods.
“There’s no magic bullet in Formula 1 that’s going to see us start winning every race from here, that sort of thing just doesn’t exist,” he said.
“So I’m hoping we can be pleasantly surprised with any gains we make next weekend.
“Spain will probably shape the season from Barcelona until Budapest and the mid-year break, so it’s an important one for us to get as right as we can.”
What may interfere in evaluating the successfulness of Red Bull’s work is a very conservative tyre allocation by Pirelli for next weekend’s Grand Prix. Something that Ricciardo was highly critical of.
“We’re going for the harder tyres for the first time this year in Barcelona,” he confirmed.
“I’m not sure if it’ll help us or not but I just don’t think it’s going to be good for anyone. The tyres are already hard enough so the harder compounds are just way too hard.
“Hopefully for Barcelona’s sake it’s hot and therefore these harder tyres work, but if it’s cold then it’s going to be a struggle for everyone,” he added.