Daniel Ricciardo is confident his Red Bull team can be an active part of the battle for victory in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
The Australian claimed second behind pacesetter Sebastian Vettel on Thursday, albeit half a second slower than his former team-mate.
But that gap didn’t seem to bother the usually relaxed 27-year-old, who was simply enjoying the challenge of Monte Carlo.
“For a Thursday here I’m pretty pleased,” Daniel said. “Firstly, to drive this track, it’s so much fun. I think regardless of how the car feels, it’s fun.”
Referring back to his form from last year, he added: I feel like we got back in that groove around here. We are looking pretty good at the moment.
“I don’t think we need to do too much to the car set-up wise at the moment, just a couple of small tweaks overnight perhaps.
“Being the first time around here with the new cars it definitely felt a little bit tighter so that needs to be considered when pushing on quick laps, but as I said, so much fun as always.”
The unique characteristics of Monaco have suited Red Bull traditionally, as the emphasis on chassis performance plays to their main strength.
Assessing the potential for the remainder of the weekend, Ricciardo said: “Generally we’re there, we’re in that window where we need to be. We’re not a second off [the pace] or anything, so that’s promising.
“I think especially around a street circuit, you’re better off driving a car that you know, as opposed to turning it upside down, which can take confidence away from you.
“I think we’ll do some little tweaks to the car tonight to prepare for Saturday, but I don’t think we need to do too much at the moment.”