Red Bull drivers hoped for better qualifying

Red Bull Racing drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel qualified for the Russian Grand Prix in 7th and 11th places respectively, both admitting they expected more before going into qualifying.

Daniel Ricciardo, 7th (to start from 6th): ”It’s tough to get a lap together around here, for a new track it’s really high in grip but at the same time it’s hard to read the grip; it’s not such a natural feeling that it gives us behind the wheel, but it’s fun and a new challenge. We were trying to get the fronts in and get grip out of them and on the last lap I lost the rear. We’re better off than we were yesterday, but I was hoping for more than seventh.”

Sebastian Vettel, 11th (to start from 10th): “I wasn’t comfortable in the car today. It was very difficult, I think we took a step back from this morning and we expected the rear to be a lot stronger and the track to pick up more than it did. The car felt nervous, so I couldn’t take the speed into the corners, I lost the rear many times around the lap and therefore wasn’t quick enough.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal “A difficult session for both our divers, finishing what will become sixth and tenth. We seem to have struggled to have one lap pace so far this weekend, hopefully our long runs have looked stronger and we can make some progress from those grid positions tomorrow.”

Thierry Salvi, Renault engines support team leader: “Daniel did a good job to qualify sixth, but it was a difficult session for us today. We didn’t get on top of our set-up issues and weren’t quick enough to challenge those at the front. Straight-line speed seemed to be an issue too, and that’s especially important at a track like Sochi. Power Unit-wise, at this stage of the season it’s important to manage the mileage and prevent any reliability issues. That could prove vital tomorrow in helping us to score a good result.”