Former Red Bull driver Alex Albon recently lauded Daniel Ricciardo’s latest Formula 1.

The preseason testing at the Bahrain International Circuit ended on February 23, with Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda securing the P7 spot and Ricciardo taking the P13 spot. Former Red Bull driver Alex Albon, who settled just below the Japanese driver at P8, opined on VCARB 01’s blistering fast speed on the 3.363-mile asphalt.

Visa Cash App RB (formerly AlphaTauri) is the sister team of reigning champions Red Bull and sources numerous car parts from them. This includes the Honda RBPTH002 power unit, Red Bull Powertrains exhaust, front and rear suspensions, and steering wheel and gearbox system (via GPBlog).

Their partnership extends to the braking system as well, but RBT and VCARB contributed partly to the same. During the F1 testing, Albon unfurled his thoughts as he witnessed the VCARB 01 sprinting on the track.

The 27-year-old Williams driver, who drove for Red Bull from 2019 to 2021, said while in the commentary box during F1 testing (via Pit Debrief):

“They’ve made a step, I think they have definitely […] gathered some parts. They look very, very, very quick. So I think they’ve made a big step, which is just the way it is. But we’re there. We’re not far away, I don’t think.”
Daniel Ricciardo urges caution as he gives a reality check to RB’s 2024 expectations
The VCARB 01 arguably looks directly inspired by the 2022 RB18 Challenger. It’s the same car in which Max Verstappen clinched his second consecutive Formula 1 world title.

However, despite having the success recipe at their disposal, Daniel Ricciardo believes that the front-row fight for the constructor’s championship is a bit far-fetched for now.

The 2018 Monaco GP winner gave his verdict on RB’s revamped car, saying (via motorsport.com):

“I think, start of the season, we need to be a little bit cautious, I think the target as the season goes on is the front of the midfield. But I would say now where we are, it’s probably more in the midfield.”
The Aussie added:

“I’m not sure yet at the front. But that is certainly our target. I know some people are quite excited about us coming into the season, but I want to play it a little bit cautious. We have a decent car, but we still have a lot of work to do, and the numbers we brought for the test, we believe there’s still some things to find.”
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will be seen fielding their VCARB 01s at the season-opener Bahrain GP on Saturday, March 2.

Edited by Aniket Rai

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