Saturday was solid for VCARB at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but Daniel Ricciardo thinks Sunday could be even better
Saturday was a strong day for Visa Cash App RB F1 Team at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as both Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda advanced into the third segment of qualifying. While the two VCARB drivers will start ninth and tenth in the Grand Prix, and Tsunoda suffered a big crash late in Q3, Ricciardo expects even bigger things on Sunday.
“Looking at tomorrow, I don’t think it’s the case of us trying to hang on to the points from where we start, I firmly believe that we can be even better in the race, so I’m looking forward to it,” said Ricciardo in the team’s post-qualifying report.
There was some frustration for Tsunoda, after this incident ended his day and brought out the red flag:
Yuki goes flying into the barriers!
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 20, 2024
A scary moment for Tsunoda, but the RB man was ok#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/gdyPcY3Ogq
“It’s a big shame and I’m disappointed. My lap in Q3 was really good, I was feeling great. I was on the limit and half the tyre went on the grass, which is normal, but because it was wet it got exaggerated. Until that corner, the lap felt great. I’m sorry because everyone in the team and myself deserve a higher position for all the work we’ve done,” said Tsunoda. “The car felt great, and the lap was solid, and I reckon it could’ve put us in a great position for tomorrow. Congrats to the team for being able to go through to Q3 with both cars.”
Returning to Ricciardo, the Australian driver noted that both he and Tsunoda had been “quick” all weekend. Following Friday’s two practice sessions, the driver outlined that he was “happy and comfortable” in the car already, and Saturday’s result seems to bolster that belief.
“It was definitely a long and tricky qualifying, and I’m relieved to hear everyone is okay after the crashes that happened. While we were out on track in Q1 it started raining more, but then we had a Red Flag, and the track dried a little bit,” added Ricciardo. “We went out again after that and finished P1, which was a good moment. I’m happy that as a team we made it into Q3 with both cars as we’ve been quick all weekend.”
Of course, none of Saturday’s results happened in a vacuum, as Sergio Pérez’s incident in Q1 has only brought more speculation about his future at Red Bull. With both Tsunoda and Ricciardo in the mix as potential replacements, Sunday could be a fascinating day in Budapest.
And perhaps a strong one for VCARB in the points.
