Saturday: Ricciardo Shines for Red Bull, Another Problem for Vettel

Daniel Ricciardo (No. 3) – 5th and 2nd

Even though the conditions weren’t ideal during qualifying, the local driver had a lot of fun behind the wheel of the RB10: « It was exciting on track – the weather definitely added a bit of a challenge to the mix and the session went well. Q1 suggested it was good for us and then, when the rain came down, it was the first time we were driving these cars on the edge in the wet. It was tricky, but at the same time very enjoyable and it was nice to always be in front. »

Ricciardo demonstrated all his talent by securing an unexpected front row for Red Bull not too long ago: « My engineer kept saying on the radio that the pace was good and that we were 1st, 2nd, 3rd and in the fight for pole position, so it was clearly a very pleasant first qualifying session with the team. I’m happy that we can start from the front row – things didn’t look so good a few weeks ago, so I’m really thrilled at the moment. »

Sebastian Vettel (No. 1) – 12th and 13th [12th on the grid]

The four-time German world champion is happy with the progress made but expects more: “I think we’ve made big strides with the car, but obviously I’m not happy about not qualifying in Q3. I think the car is fast, but we struggled this afternoon with the handling, which in these conditions was even worse.”

He is delighted to see that the RB10 is working as demonstrated by Ricciardo: « The car seems good and Daniel did a very good job to be on the front row, so congratulations to him. »

Even if he starts outside the top 10, Vettel remains hopeful of achieving a good result: « It will be a long race tomorrow, and reliability will be the key point to reaching the finish, but I think there will be plenty of opportunities for us. »