• Toro Rosso news

Ricciardo believes he has the edge over Vergne

Daniel Ricciardo has scored points in five of the last seven grands prix © Sutton Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• Drivers:
• Daniel Ricciardo
• |
• Jean-Éric Vergne

• Teams:
• Toro Rosso

Daniel Ricciardo believes he has been getting the better of Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso since the summer break.

Both drivers were confirmed as staying on at Toro Rosso for 2013 ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with a seat at Red Bull the potential prize. With Ricciardo finishing tenth in the race he is now just two points behind his team-mate in the standings, but believes his performances in qualifying and improving races means he has the edge at present.

"I think definitely the Saturdays have been my stronger point," Ricciardo said. "I think in terms of Sundays I gave a few away earlier in the year, I made a few little mistakes and it took me a little bit of time to get what I wanted out of a Sunday. But I think definitely now since the Summer break it's been more in my favour.

"I don't like looking back and saying 'I would be' because I think everyone has got an excuse, but without the brake problem in Korea if we'd stayed eighth and ninth then I would have been ahead in the championship. It's been positive from my side, I think the progression has been positive; the Saturdays have remained strong yet the Sundays have improved, which were my weaker point at the beginning of the year. So it's heading in a better direction, at least from my views."

Christian Horner said prior to the Abu Dhabi weekend that he keeps a very close eye on performances at Toro Rosso, and when asked if certain moments stick in his mind as having the potential to impress Red Bull, Ricciardo replied: "Yeah, I think so.

"Bahrain qualifying is definitely the one that stands out; it was one of those days when everything just fell in to place. Not to boast my efforts - obviously I was ragging the car and trying to get the most out of it - but I didn't have to put life and limb on the line to do the job I did there, it just fell in to place. You do have a few days like that over the year where you think 'this is where I belong and this is where I want to be', so I definitely hope to have a few more of those."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.