Daniel Ricciardo believes the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix will be the key to the remainder of Red Bull’s season with the upgraded Renault engine.
Renault opted to bring forward their planned engine upgrade for Monaco, and due to the street circuit not prioritising over engine power the performance gains were unclear.
Montreal does consist of a few long straights where horsepower is important and with Red Bull beginning to look serious contenders, Ricciardo is hopeful of more progress.
“I think Canada is going to be interesting,” the Australian said.
“It’s still a street circuit but there’s a long straight and it’s a bit more of a horsepower circuit.
“I think that will be a sign; if we can be quick, then I think we can be quick really for the remainder of the season. If we can fight for a podium in Canada then we should be able to fight everywhere else.”
Ricciardo comes off the back of a frustrating result, the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix victor was in contention for victory in Monaco before a bodged pit-stop cost him a first win of the year.
Despite the disappointment, Ricciardo was positive with the improved performance of the Red Bull and thinks Canada could represent how competitive the team may potentially be.
“We knew this track would be an opportunity for us to win but we’ll have a better idea really how competitive we can be, not only on these type of circuits but all the others.”
