(Motorsports news) From Budapest on, Ricciardo joined his former squad AlphaTauri on loan from Red Bull to take Nyck de Vries’ seat. The AT04’s turn entry weakness, which also plagued Ricciardo during his troublesome stint at McLaren, was one area De Vries battled with. After an eight-month hiatus, Ricciardo claimed he instantly felt at home in the car after outqualifying his AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda and finishing 13th despite being sent off the track by Zhou Guanyu.
The Hungaroring’s tight terrain and the high temperatures, however, have obscured some of the car’s poor handling qualities, according to Jonathan Eddolls, head of trackside engineering at AlphaTauri. It is yet unknown how well Ricciardo will get along with his new vehicle.
Before the race,.when questioned Eddolls about the AlphaTauri’s turn entry problem. He responded, “Actually, that hasn’t been one of the main constraints so far of the weekend, because the tyre grip and the downforce sort of camouflaged it. Here, it hasn’t been as much of a problem. It’s interesting that we’re approaching maximum downforce while using very soft tires. Additionally, due to the features of the track, you may run them here at very low pressures, some of the lowest of the season.
However, Eddolls claims that despite some of the team’s most recent improvements, which include a modified floor and new front and rear wings, correcting its corner entry vulnerability is still a work in progress. The improvements, according to Eddolls, are intended to address that. “I wouldn’t say we fixed it for sure, even though [the drivers] haven’t commented, and I think we know why, so we’re still going in the same direction.
He continued by saying that the 34-year-old Ricciardo had just reaffirmed the AlphaTauri’s need to increase the aerodynamic load on the car in order to gain ground in the middle of the field. Ricciardo had not revealed any obvious flaws or shortcomings in the way his car behaved, he said. The good news is that Daniel’s initial response supports our general approach, which is that we need greater downforce.
“He added that, as is common knowledge, AlphaTauri were only somewhat underpowered compared to the best teams. However, he hasn’t yet identified any significant areas of weakness, which is understandable given that the car doesn’t have any major issues; all we need is a little more weight to compete.
After getting caught in traffic, Ricciardo’s early second pitstop not only allowed him to pass several other competitors and finish 13th, but he also said the little period of clear air helped him learn much more about the capabilities of the car.
Also read: After the Hungarian GP, Alonso claims Aston Martin is the fifth-fastest F1 team
