05/03/2024
NEWS STORY
Daniel Ricciardo: "Getting the first race done was an opportunity for everyone, including myself, to dust off the cobwebs. Over the weekend, there were some things I did well and others not so well. Now I can't wait for the next one. I'm glad it's a back-to-back and pleased we get another race immediately after the first one. I stayed in Bahrain for a few more days, taking it easy but staying active with low stress by playing Padel with some of the guys!
"There was a lot of analysis done on Saturday night after the race, and plenty of good things came from it. In the short term, it will take a perfect race from us to finish in the points, but I believe that over the course of the next few races, we'll continue to get stronger and stronger. Saudi is a very different track, and I'm excited to be racing there again. With one race done, I reckon I can get a few more tenths out of the car this weekend.
"I've raced twice in Saudi where my best result was a fifth place. It's a great track, one I enjoy a lot, and I'm really happy to be going back there. The grip is pretty high for a street circuit, so I'm looking forward to the high-speed challenge and the adrenaline spike that comes with it. The first sector is super fast: once you get through Turns 1 and 2 it's time to hold on because the G-forces on your body are very high. It's a real track, very physical."
Yuki Tsunoda: "I stayed in Bahrain for a few days after the race, and now I'm keen to start work again in Jeddah. At this stage of the season, you always want to be driving the car! There was a lot of hype about our team before the test, which continued in the build-up to the first race, but inside the garage, we obviously weren't paying attention to it. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from Bahrain, but it ended up being better than I thought in terms of what the car could do, especially in qualifying. Actually, even the race pace was pretty good, but some factors meant this was hard to see from the outside.
"It was a useful weekend where we learnt a lot about our car, its limitations and where we can improve. For example, the changes we made from FP1 to FP2 didn't work the way we wanted, so we changed again, and it was much better for FP3 and qualifying, so all these lessons are going to be useful in Saudi. Our team hasn't just changed its name, it's new in many ways; we have new people and have implemented new procedures, so we are still learning how to all work well together at the same time as learning about the new car.
"Now, we'll continue that process in Saudi. Last year, I was in the points until a couple of laps from the end. I like it because it's a very fast, fun track to drive, and it will be the first chance to see how the new car works at a very different track layout. There will be hardly any tyre degradation, and we'll see how the car's aero works at really high speeds. It's so fast, and the walls are very close which makes it very interesting from inside the cockpit. Everyone is very motivated to go faster, improve the car and score points as soon as possible. We've seen how close the midfield is, so we know it won't be an easy job, but we're all determined to continue pushing."