Daniel Ricciardo has dismissed as “frustration” the unseemly spat between Red Bull and its works engine partner Renault.
After Melbourne, it became clear that while Ferrari has markedly improved its engine over the winter, Renault arguably went backwards. Red Bull figures including Adrian Newey, Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko lashed out, but Renault’s Cyril Abiteboul hit back at what he called “lies”.
The two sides appear headed for definite divorce, but at the same time Red Bull is railing against the current technical rules, arguing that Mercedes’ domination needs to be reigned in before it “kills” the sport. The team has even threatened to quit F1. “I think it’s purely a bit of frustration for now,” Australian Ricciardo, the lead driver for Red Bull, said on Thursday. “Obviously Red Bull’s a winning team, they want results and it’s … I guess it’s still very early to start talking about this,” he added. “I think some people felt they just had to get a few things off their chest — say what you’ve got to say, I guess.
But now we’re at a race weekend, it’s time to put our head down and focus on improving,” Ricciardo added. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg on Thursday were also asked about Red Bull’s calls for ‘equalisation’ measures to reign in the dominance. Hamilton called it “funny”, while German Rosberg was less amused. “I find it unbelievable that such claims are coming, especially after just one race,” he exclaimed.
