Daniel Ricciardo’s ambitions of shining on home turf were blown apart when the Red Bull driver was caught out by his car’s reaction and subsequent crash into the barriers.
Ricciardo had embarked on his first flying lap in Q3 when his unforgiving RB13 snapped as he rounded Turn 14, sending the Aussie backwards into the barriers and inflicting damage to the rear and right corner of his car.
The mishap cost the Honey Badger a chance to fight for a spot at the upper end of the grid for his home race, leaving him to start tomorrow’s race from tenth.
“It happened quickly, I could feel the rear was on the edge, it was starting to come around,” he said.
“I tried to catch it but it came around. As the result of more downforce and more grip, when you lose it it’s a lot more violent and aggressive – so it caught me out.
“There is still a bit to learn and don’t tend to find myself in the barriers much, so it’s a bit of an odd sight to see me in to the barrier.
“The cars have more grip, which makes them stick to the track more – but when it goes wrong they bite a bit harder.
“They are new beasts. I am positive about it – I like the cars.”
Ricciardo said he felt bad for imposing an extra workload on his Red Bull crew. The additional labor could imply a gearbox change if damage warrants, which would in turn entail a grid penalty for the Aussie, sending at the tail end of the field.
“I created a bit more work for myself and unfortunately for the mechanics,” he added.
“I feel for them, I know they have had a long weekend, tough getting cars prepared. We will turn it into a bit of aggro tomorrow and hopefully buy them a few stubbies after a better result than today.”
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