After what feels like ages, Daniel Ricciardo gets his first taste of F1 next week. The Australian will test for Renault next week alongside his teammate Esteban Ocon. Renault will head to Spielberg at the Red Bull Ring for its first “warmup” since the F1 shutdown.
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By testing at the Red Bull Ring, the French team may gain a tiny advantage, given that the first race is in Austria when F1 returns.
Daniel Ricciardo to test for Renault
As per F1’s revised calendar, F1 will go racing twice at the Red Bull Ring. By testing in Spielberg, it probably helps the drivers more than the time. Some drivers, like Ricciardo, were apprehensive of ‘race rust’ when the season resumes.
With over 4 months of no racing and arguably having lost the feel for the enormous G forces, drivers are sure to feel sluggish during the first race at least. Then again, F1 drivers train on a near superhuman level and they’ll quickly adapt.
Ricciardo believes there’s going to be a ton of chaos when racing begins. After 7 months of no racing at all, heading into turn 1 in Austria is sure to be a treat.
Renault will test at Spielberg using their 2018 car – the R.S.18. With the rules clamping down on testing time and mileage with the 2020 cars, using a machine that’s relatively close to current norms makes sense.
Daniel Ricciardo tests on June 16, with Esteban Ocon taking over the next day.
Despite the lack of racing, Renault has had a difficult year so far. With the ongoing epidemic putting the season on hold, Renault is in the midst of a major financial crunch. At one point, there were many rumors of the team disappearing from the sport in 2021. Thankfully, the Enstone outfit is here to stay for now.
To make matters worse, the team is losing its star driver to arch-rivals McLaren. With Ricciardo’s exit, Renault must now deal with the headache of finding a suitable replacement.
