- Jerez Test, Day Four
No need to panic - Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo is confident Red Bull can fight back from its disastrous start to pre-season testing so that it is in the running at the first few races of the season.
The team completed just 21 laps at this week's four-day Jerez test and packed up after lunch on the final day to head back to the factory early. After struggling with cooling issues throughout the test, the RB10 was finished off by a mechanical issue on Friday.
The team is aiming to solve the problems in time for the second pre-season test in Bahrain on February 19 and Ricciardo is confident it can play catch up in the remaining eight days of testing.
"I don't think it's going to affect us [long-term]," he said. "We do have the best team in the world and they are going to turn this thing around. It's not like the season's started yet, we're not losing points by not driving now. We've still got a long time to get back any track time we've lost here. For me it's alright, the few laps I did in the car it still felt like a race car - it's not something that is out of the ordinary. I'm sure once we get going and up to speed I won't feel out of place.
"The issues we've had the last few days, it's complex I guess and it's a combination of more or less everything. It's a complex system this year that's not going to take 24 hours to solve. It's best now that we get some time away from the track and figure out what needs to be done. I'll be keeping in touch with the team over the next few weeks and seeing how it's all going."
Ricciardo said he was not upset about the limited mileage on his Red Bull debut.
"I came here to drive, that's what I am, a driver," he added. "I would have loved to have done more laps but at the same time it's testing, and the first test of the year. It's nothing to be down about, that's all I can say. Eight days now in Bahrain where the weather should be nice as well and I'll have a few things to look forward to."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
