F1
Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior Writer 7y

Daniel Ricciardo: Don't tinker with my Red Bull

Formula 1

Daniel Ricciardo believes Red Bull is in the "ballpark" of Mercedes and Ferrari after the team enjoyed its most encouraging Friday of the season in Azerbaijan.

The Australian was second fastest in FP1 and only dropped to third in the second session, while teammate Max Verstappen -- who ended the day in the barriers -- managed to top the timesheets on both occasions.

Pleased with the team's progress, Ricciardo has warned his mechanics not to tinker too much with his car ahead of FP3 and qualifying on Saturday. Instead, he feels the Baku City Circuit is a track where the driver can make a difference and find an extra couple of tenths.

"It has been a pretty good day. We are first and third so you don't want to go crazy [tuning the car] and chase too much because we are in the ballpark," said Ricciardo. "You can get a lot out of yourself here so a few improvements and hopefully we will be there."

While happy with Red Bull's Friday pace relative to the frontrunners, Ricciardo is still wary of the threat from the midfield. Force India has been a revelation in 2017, scoring double points finishes in all but one race, while Williams appears well-suited to the Baku layout.

"It looks pretty competitive out there," he said. "There are a few of us, even Force India and Williams are not too far off. It is pretty racy."

Ricciardo also noted the lack of grip on what is such a tight street circuit. Sergio Perez, Jolyon Palmer and Verstappen all struck the barriers at various stages on Friday.

"The track is difficult. Most of us run pretty low downforce, so the street circuit is slippery, we have low grip on the car, and the corners are tight.

"There is not much room for error so it is a pretty high-risk circuit in terms of mistakes. But that makes it really challenging and when you are able to put in a good lap you cross the finish line and you can smile.

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