- First Bahrain Test - Day Three
Another problem ends Red Bull's day early
Red Bull has cut another day of testing short after discovering a mechanical issue on the RB10 midway through day three in Bahrain.
The car has been plagued with faults since it was launched in Jerez at the end of last month and the team has stopped several test days short as a result. In light of the most recent problem, Red Bull opted to cut its losses after 28 laps on Friday to fix the car in time for the final day of the second test on Saturday.
"After yesterday's good work we had another positive period overnight with the car build, which we're getting quite good at, and it looked good this morning," race engineering co-ordinator Andy Damerum said. "We were focused on short runs for Daniel, as the car feels very different to the one we had in Jerez and we wanted to build things up gradually for him. We made more changes over lunch and in doing so we came across a mechanical issue that we hadn't encountered before and because of its nature it means we have to take the car apart.
"As everyone in the pit lane is finding out this is a long process, so we decided to suspend running in the afternoon so that we can be ready for the final day. These issues are of course frustrating but this was unrelated to the others so it's just a case of tackling each issue as it appears. A tough night in prospect but we hope to get a good day in tomorrow."
The problem follows 59 laps at the wheel for Sebastian Vettel on Thursday and Daniel Ricciardo, who was driving on Friday, is hoping he will get similar mileage on the final day.
"I did some good laps and those came off the back of the more than 50 laps Seb did yesterday, so we're getting there," Ricciardo said. "Obviously, I would have liked to do more this afternoon but we still have tomorrow ahead of us and it's important to be ready for that. The car is definitely making progress though. It's coming together bit by bit.
"We'd love a big chunk all at once but obviously that's not the way these things work, so we have to be a bit patient for now. However, it is coming and we're heading in the right direction. Tomorrow it would be nice to get more laps in and then roll on next week."
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