Daniel Ricciardo said he feels ready to race at the Formula One season-opener in Melbourne, despite an interrupted final day of testing in Barcelona.
The Australian spent most of last week in the Red Bull garage after an issue with his Energy Recovery System (ERS) left him stranded at the end of pit lane an hour into the session.
He still managed to complete 72 laps of Circuit de Catalunya and was fifth fastest.
“We had ERS problems in the morning but in the end we more or less did what we needed to do today,” Ricciardo said. “We did a bit on lower fuel and soft tyres, plus some longer runs.”
The 25-year-old said it was hard to say where Red Bull sat in the pecking order ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on March 15, but suggested Mercedes was still the one to beat.
Sadly two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso will miss 2015’s opening Grand Prix in Australia after suffering concussion in a crash.
Doctors recommended that the 33-year-old Spaniard sit out the race in Melbourne, as he recovers from the smash during testing in Barcelona on February 22.
Jenson Button and reserve driver Kevin Magnussen will get the McLaren Honda cars for the March 15 race.
Source: AAP