Daniel Ricciardo is targeting going one better than he did at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2016, believing the night race offers Red Bull their “best chance” for a victory in the final seven races.
The Australian is already a race winner this season after taking advantage of the chaotic events of the last city race in Baku and the Anglo-Austrian team is known to prefer the higher downforce tracks and particularly Marina Bay, where they have won three times in the past.
Last year Ricciardo came up just shy of victory, as a late charge to catch Nico Rosberg following a late pit-stop saw him arguably come up a lap short and he sees no reason why Red Bull can’t be as strong again this year.
“I believe Singapore won’t be our only chance but is one of our best chances of a win in the second half of the season,” he claimed. “You have to build up speed a little slower in the practice sessions on a street circuit like Singapore. At some point, you have to start taking risks but to do that straight away doesn’t make sense.
“I’ve started second and finished second at this track in the last two years, with the fastest lap both times, so my aim this year is definitely to start on pole and try to go one better in the race.”
The often two-hour race in the hot and humid conditions of the South-East Asian city-state is among the hardest of the year for the drivers and particularly the cars. That means reliability could well be a factor and one driver who suffered more than most is Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman has a good record around the street circuit, however, and is desperate to add to his only top three finish of the year, which came all the way back in China.
“I’m looking forward to getting to Singapore as it’s always a special weekend,” he said. “The race has been a strong one for us in the past and I think we should be able to challenge for a podium this year.” “The track itself has a lot of corners which is why I enjoy driving there and like most street circuits it’s pretty bumpy which makes it even more challenging.”
“The track itself has a lot of corners which is why I enjoy driving there and like most street circuits it’s pretty bumpy which makes it even more challenging.”
