RB technical director Jody Egginton says the team will bring minor updates to the Dutch Grand Prix to try and continue its points run following the summer break.
A scoreless first two races of the season has been followed by a run of points from all but two of the rounds for RB since, including four straight top tens leading into August. From that run, however, only in Hungary did it lead the pack behind the top four teams, with Aston Martin, Haas, Alpine and Williams all having outscored RB in the other races, and Egginton says upgrades are required due to how competitive the field is.
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“Zandvoort presents some different challenges, but we have a solid baseline to take in this race, which, combined with a couple of further minor updates, should allow us to continue to fight towards the front,” Egginton said. “The circuit is a testing ‘Old School’ circuit ranking amongst the shorter circuits on the calendar with 14 corners of various types, combined with short straights with various cambers and many gravel traps, which will punish even the smallest of errors.
“Achieving a good qualifying is very important here. With regards to the race, as it has been the case for the majority of races this season, we expect a tough fight with our closest competitors for points and we are looking forward to the battle in what is going to be a very intense second half of the season.”
Zandvoort marks a year since Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand in a crash during practice, ruling him out for five races last season, but he says the track was actually suiting him at the time and he hopes to be able to replicate that feeling on his return.
“It’s been a great summer break,” Ricciardo said. “I got back to Australia to see some friends and family, so I’m feeling recharged, fit and healthy.
“I’m looking forward to getting back to Zandvoort. Obviously last year it’s where my year turned upside down, but until the accident with Oscar [Piastri], I was really enjoying the circuit, the car was great around there. I’m confident we can continue where we left off before the break, our momentum was strong and we’re definitely in the fight for some points.”
Ricciardo has scored points in three of his last six races, but faces an uncertain future at this stage after Red Bull opted to stick with Sergio Perez beyond the summer break, with Liam Lawson understood to be a contender for a full-time RB seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda in 2025.