The hallowed grounds of Silverstone, home to the British Grand Prix, witnessed the initial skirmishes of the 2018 Formula 1 season as teams took to the track for Friday practice. For Red Bull Racing, the opening sessions presented a mixed bag of challenges and cautious optimism. While the team grappled with the formidable pace of rivals Mercedes and Ferrari, driver Daniel Ricciardo candidly admitted that beating these powerhouses in qualifying might be an uphill battle, but held out hope for a stronger showing come race day.
During the crucial second practice session (FP2), Ricciardo, known for his late-braking prowess and aggressive driving style, ended the day a significant 0.856 seconds adrift of Sebastian Vettel’s leading Ferrari. The track conditions were unusually hot for Silverstone, with temperatures soaring to a scorching 51 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. Such extreme heat introduced an additional layer of complexity, demanding meticulous management of both tyre degradation and engine temperatures – factors that Ricciardo highlighted as critical for Sunday’s race.
“It’s hot for Silverstone, which definitely makes things interesting,” Ricciardo remarked after his session. “We just need to manage everything, especially the temperatures. I think that’ll be key to having a better race car on Sunday. For qualifying, we’ll try to do what we can. I believe Ferrari and Mercedes are simply too fast on one lap for us at the moment. However, for the race, we’ll certainly be looking to find a few little secrets – perhaps in strategy or setup – to close that gap and challenge them more effectively.”
Ricciardo’s assessment wasn’t merely a reflection of Red Bull’s immediate performance; it underscored a recurring theme in the 2018 season. Red Bull’s chassis, the RB14, was widely considered one of the best on the grid, particularly in high-downforce corners and in race trim. However, the Renault power unit often left them at a disadvantage against the Mercedes and Ferrari engines, especially on power-sensitive circuits or during qualifying’s single-lap glory runs where every horsepower counted. Silverstone, with its high-speed straights and sweeping corners, played somewhat into the hands of the more powerful engine packages.
The challenges for Red Bull were compounded by a tumultuous day for Ricciardo’s teammate, Max Verstappen. Verstappen’s FP2 session was cut dramatically short after a costly mistake on his very first flying lap. The young Dutchman, pushing hard on the hard compound tyres, lost control of his RB14 at the fast Luffield corner, resulting in a significant impact that damaged the rear of his car. “In FP2, I think I was just too quick on the hard tyre,” Verstappen explained, reflecting on the incident. “I simply lost it.”
This early exit from FP2 was a major setback. Friday practice sessions are invaluable for teams to gather crucial data on tyre performance, assess different aerodynamic configurations, and fine-tune the car’s setup for both qualifying and race simulations. Losing the majority of a session, especially one as important as FP2, meant Verstappen missed out on vital track time and the opportunity to understand how the car would behave under race conditions with various fuel loads and tyre compounds. This immediately put him on the back foot for the remainder of the weekend, requiring the team to work overtime to repair the car and analyze Ricciardo’s data more thoroughly to compensate for the lost running.
Adding to Verstappen’s woes, the Dutch driver also encountered a mechanical issue towards the end of the first practice session (FP1). A problem with the gearbox forced him to return to the pits prematurely. While the team was still investigating the exact nature of the fault, any gearbox concern, particularly one that manifests early in a Grand Prix weekend, is a cause for apprehension. Such issues can lead to grid penalties if a replacement unit is required outside the allowed allocation, further complicating a driver’s race prospects. This succession of setbacks meant Verstappen had a severely compromised Friday, a stark contrast to his teammate’s relatively smooth, albeit pace-deficient, running.
The contrasting fortunes of the Red Bull drivers highlighted the delicate balance of speed and reliability required in Formula 1. While Ricciardo focused on extracting every ounce of performance from the RB14 and strategizing for Sunday, Verstappen faced an uphill battle to regain confidence and catch up on lost development time. The high track temperatures further underscored the importance of tyre management, a domain where Red Bull historically excelled, often capable of extending tyre life or making alternative strategies work to their advantage.
Looking ahead to qualifying, the Red Bull garage faced a monumental task. Bridging a gap of nearly a second to the front-runners, particularly on a circuit like Silverstone, demanded significant setup breakthroughs or a substantial improvement in engine performance – neither of which is easily achieved overnight. However, Ricciardo’s optimism for the race hinted at Red Bull’s traditional strength: their ability to maximize race pace, often through shrewd strategy calls and their drivers’ renowned skill in managing tyres and extracting consistent performance over long stints. The “little secrets” Ricciardo mentioned could range from optimizing energy deployment from the hybrid system to finding a unique pit stop strategy or a setup that is gentler on the tyres, allowing for a longer first stint or a more aggressive attack later in the race.
The 2018 British Grand Prix promised to be a fascinating strategic battle, with Red Bull positioned as the underdog hoping to upset the Mercedes and Ferrari applecart. Their Friday performance, though not ideal, set the stage for a characteristically resilient effort from the Milton Keynes-based squad. The focus for Saturday’s qualifying would be damage limitation, getting both cars as high up the grid as possible, particularly for Verstappen, who would need to overcome his challenging start to the weekend. For Sunday, all eyes would be on Ricciardo’s ability to unlock those “secrets” and convert Red Bull’s strong race pace into a podium challenge, demonstrating their fighting spirit against formidable opposition.
2018 F1 season
- F1 feared “death knell” for Drive to Survive after Ferrari and Mercedes snub
- McLaren staff told us we were “totally crazy” to take Honda engines in 2018 – Tost
- ‘It doesn’t matter if we start last’: How Red Bull’s junior team aided Honda’s leap forward
- Honda’s jet division helped F1 engineers solve power unit problem
- McLaren Racing losses rise after Honda split
Browse all 2018 F1 season articles