10th in FP1 then 9th in FP2, Daniel Ricciardo had a trouble-free day at the wheel of his McLaren F1 on the Paul Ricard, managing to chain the laps with his MCL36.
His single-seater is also equipped with upgrades this weekend, and the Australian confirms that he felt a difference behind the wheel.
« Yes, you feel it. But you know, we had never driven on this circuit before with these F1 cars, so we don’t really have a reference. So we can note a difference, but it’s still difficult to be specific. . »
« Nevertheless, I think we managed to make some progress in the afternoon, although we still have some analysis work to do tonight. But it was a good day overall: we made some many laps, and it wasn’t that hot in the car, it was fine. »
Ricciardo admits he does not yet know whether his F1 will perform better in qualifying or in the race this weekend.
« I don’t know yet. Of course I know our ranking in the session, 9th I think, but I don’t know yet what our pace is on the long stints. I’m more concerned with finding the right settings and having a better overall understanding. But I have no worries. We have a new package, and we still need time to get the most out of it. »
Norris is satisfied to have… porpoising
If McLaren F1 has been relatively spared from the phenomenon of porpoising since the start of the season, the MCL36 is starting to bounce back more and more and this was particularly the case for Lando Norris today on the Paul Ricard.
And while the Woking side brought some significant new things over the weekend, the Brit hopes the bounce back means his side are moving in the right direction with development.
« In recent races we’ve had it quite a few times. At Silverstone there were even a lot of them, » indicated Norris, 6th fastest in EL2.
« So it’s neither a surprise nor a shock. I hope it’s a good thing as improving the car can lead to porpoising. Apart from Red Bull, it seems that Ferrari and Mercedes have had a lot, and they’re obviously a lot faster than us. Maybe Red Bull did it another way. »
« I think that when we try to improve the car, sometimes we expose ourselves to this phenomenon and it is not necessarily a bad thing. It can mean that we are going in the right direction. So we will try to understand it and I hope it turns out to be a good thing and not a bad thing. »
A time of adaptation necessary to understand the evolutions
While Ricciardo’s McLaren was fitted with the new features all day, Norris’s only had them during the afternoon, allowing the team to compare their two configurations for the MCL36 in the morning. But like his team-mate, Norris has already noticed differences in driving during PR2.
« I wouldn’t say it was complicated. The feeling was slightly different behind the wheel, you get used to things so quickly. As soon as something seems to be a little bit different, you have to understand why it’s happening or what it’s done, then you have to master it and maximize it. »
« So there’s nothing right or wrong, it’s just that the car is limited to different places in the corners and you have to adapt. »
The Briton remains confident that his team will unlock more performance by tomorrow.
« I guess I have to catch up and compare all that with Daniel. But it was good to be able to compare the data today, so we can analyze everything tonight and expect to have more performance tomorrow. »
