Daniel Ricciardo wary of criticising Turkish GP organisers over "frustrating" circuit

Turkish Grand Prix

Ricciardo wary of criticising Turkish GP organisers over "frustrating" circuit

Ricciardo acknowledged the effort made to get the race on the calendar

Ewan Gale

Saturday 14 November 2020 05:00

Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo steered clear of criticising the chaotic Friday practice sessions at the Turkish Grand Prix due to the effort made to put races on at such short notice.

Formula 1's first on-track sessions at Istanbul Park since 2011 were marred by a lack of grip on a newly-laid surface, leading to times slower than the GP2 pole lap of that year.

Whilst Ricciardo acknowledged the issues encountered, the Australian also noted the 11th-hour nature of organising the event in order to bolster the world championship calendar.

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"We are definitely setting the bar low at the moment but I think we will be okay," he said of his performance on Friday.

"If it rains, who knows, it will probably be an ice skating rink out there. Otherwise, we will see.

"I know this is a last-minute calendar this year so I don't want to be critical but if there were some other categories it would help grip the track in but we are doing all the work. It is the same for everyone, I just want to go faster that is all."

Ricciardo was left most disappointed by the missed chance to attack the Turkish venue but remains optimistic after what he claims was a strong end to the day.

"I probably speak for most, but it was pretty frustrating because it is such a beautiful circuit and we want to push it," he added.

"We were a little bit restricted with the new surface and the grip. We had to be quite patient, but hopefully, it will pick up a bit. I think it is going to rain so we might just have to deal with that this weekend.

"We struggled a bit. We found a little bit right in the last few minutes with the set-up so we are more confident, even though we don't look great on the timesheets, we are more confident now.

When asked whether he would be like Bambi on ice if rain fell over the weekend, Ricciardo joked: "We will aim for Olympic [skater] levels.

"I am certainly confident we will be better than 15th. I will do my homework. I am sure we will get a bit more out of it, but let's chase the Olympics."

Before you go...

Tricky Turkey track can provide chance for smaller teams - Grosjean

Stunned Russell predicts gaps of "seconds between cars" in Turkey