Ricciardo half a second clear of Hamilton; Rosberg third and Verstappen fourth; Vettel suffers troubled day ; Button 10th
Sunday 29 May 2016 05:24, UK
Red Bull have delivered emphatic proof that they can challenge Mercedes at this weekend's Monaco GP by surging ahead in Thursday practice.
After Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton led the way in morning practice, Daniel Ricciardo finished Practice Two half a second clear of the world champion.
The Australian, armed with an upgraded Renault engine, topped the timesheet with a lap of 1:14.607 - just two tenths shy of the fastest lap ever recorded around Monte Carlo, set by Michael Schumacher in 2004.
Despite also running on the ultrasofts, the new brand of tyres being debuted by Pirelli, Hamilton could only close to within a tenth of Ricciardo with his best effort before the Australian found another half-second of pace.
While the size of Ricciardo's one-lap advantage indicates that Red Bull and Mercedes may have been running different levels of fuel, his strong long-run stint at the end of the session offered further evidence that the bullish Bulls may now be a genuine match for the hitherto-dominant Mercedes.
"Obviously we've got a good car around here as well," said Ricciardo. "This track is certainly one where you can find a little bit more when you can push it on the limit. I've got some good confidence, which is the most important thing around here."
Sky F1 pundits: Red Bull speed unbelievable
With Ricciardo's team-mate Max Verstappen in fourth, just behind world championship leader Nico Rosberg, Sky F1's Martin Brundle exclaimed from trackside: "Those Red Bull drivers have got absolutely unbelievable speed and confidence around here. Absolutely unbelievable. It defies belief that they can take that much speed into this swimming pool section."
The resurgent Red Bull outfit, who threatened to leave F1 just a year ago, won two weeks ago in Spain and their RB12 chassis appears particularly well suited to the notoriously tight confines of the legendary Monte Carlo circuit.
When is the Monaco GP on Sky Sports and how can you watch it?
But Ferrari's struggles continued with both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen only on the outskirts of the top 10 behind Toro Rosso duo Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz. Vettel's difficulties were highlighted by an unusual spin into Mirabeu which resulted in the apologetic former world champion requiring a new rear wing.
"We tried a couple of things and it's fair to say some of them didn't work," said Vettel. "You could call it pressure but it's also the reason we are here. We're not here to finish eighth, or fifth, we're here to win."
Jenson Button rounded off the top 10 for McLaren on a relatively quiet day for the team despite pre-event predictions they could catch Ferrari.
On a difficult day for the field as they adjusted to the new range of Pirelli tyres and a 'green circuit', Rio Haryanto, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen all crashed out. The exit from the tunnel was particularly hazardous, catching out both Grosjean in the Haas and Manor rookie Haryanto. It's understood that despite substantial financial backing from the Indonesian government, Haryanto's seat may be in jeopardy with American driver Alex Rossi waiting in the wings.
Monaco GP Practice Two timesheet
1. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:14.607
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:15.213
3. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:15.506
4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 1:15.571
5. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:15.815
6. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:15.981
7. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:16.040
8. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:16.120
9. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:16.269
10. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:16.325
11. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1:16.487
12. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:16.723
13. Esteban Gutierrez, Haas, 1:16.782
14. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:16.849
15. Romain Grosjean, Haas, 1:16.874
16. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:17.286
17. Kevin Magnussen, Renault, 1:17.530
18. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:17.562
19. Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:17.761
20. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1:17.999
21. Rio Haryanto, Manor, 1:18.647
22. Pascal Wehrlein, Manor, 1:18.814
Watch the Monaco GP live on Sky Sports F1. The race starts at 1pm on Sunday, with build-up underway at 11.30am. Or watch the race without a contract for £6.99 on NOW TV.
