Daniel Ricciardo has accepted that he has to improve his one-lap performances in 2018 if he is to challenge for the Formula 1 title.
Ricciardo, having bested Sebastian Vettel in 2014 and Daniil Kvyat in 2015/16, retained his qualifying advantage when Max Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull.
However, Verstappen turned the tables in 2017, winning the Saturday battle 13-7, and taking three front-row starts, as Ricciardo failed to qualify higher than third.
Ricciardo has conceded that he has to “lift my game” over one-lap in 2018 if he is to compete at the very front of the 2018 battle.
“I can't deny that Max was better more times than not in qualifying this year – and qualifying has always been a strength of mine,” Ricciardo said in an interview with Red Bull’s website.
“So yeah, I've definitely got to lift my game in qualifying. The first part of that is to understand what I didn't execute as well this year as last.
“If it's half a tenth, it's half a tenth: it could decide pole; could decide a championship.
“We've got to fight for everything. And that's good. This year I think Max and I both feel that any mistake in qualifying means we're going to be second best.
“In the past, with some team-mates, you might perhaps get away with a little mistake here and there and still come out on top. Not anymore. We keep the pressure on each other.”
Red Bull started both 2016 and 2017 on the back foot, before developing strongly through the year, and Ricciardo is sure the operation can be competitive from the outset next season.
“I don't want to set the expectation bar too high – mostly because I hate that phrase – but yeah, the way we've progressed this year has been massive,” he commented.
“We've developed more than anyone else. Because of that, it's hard to think we would not start next year on the right foot.”
