Daniel Ricciardo is confident that his Red Bull team will not repeat the mistakes that cost him victory in Monaco earlier this year as he chases his first Formula 1 win of the season in Singapore.
Ricciardo took pole position for May's Monaco Grand Prix and looked poised for victory until Red Bull failed to prepare his tyres quickly enough, allowing Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton to jump ahead in the pits and go on to win the race.
Ricciardo was left feeling "screwed", but has a shot at redemption this weekend in Singapore as the tight and twisting nature of the Marina Bay Street Circuit should play to the strengths of the Red Bull RB12 car.
When asked about his victory chances in Singapore, Ricciardo joked: "I think I’ve got a pretty good chance of the top 10, absolutely. That’s about it."
The Australian offered a more serious answer soon after, acknowledging that the similarities between Monaco and Singapore should put Red Bull in good stead for the weekend.
"It’s obviously the next closest track to Monaco, so sure we look at it as a good chance to try to get the victory I’ve been after this season," Ricciardo explained.
"With the team, since Monaco, a lot of things have been working better, in terms of I think we’ve executed a lot more on a Sunday and I’ve left Sundays feeling a lot happier the last handful of races, so that’s been good on both sides.
"I feel I have executed as well good things on Sunday. Let’s see. I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself or them for this weekend but I think deep down we obviously want to win.
"I believe we are a group of winners, so if there is a bit of pressure on us to get it done then I think we will thrive off that.
"Let’s see what happens. I’m definitely prepared and excited.
"I don’t know what I’m paying for a top 10, but it’s safe money."
