Ricciardo dissatisfied: "That's the really frustrating thing"

Weakness point

"It's frustrating," Ricciardo told Motorsport-Total as he looks back on Thursday's final session. "I had confidence in the car, but it hasn't shown in the lap times yet. It's honestly quite frustrating behind the wheel. When I crossed the finish line I thought I had done a decent lap. And then I was twelfth or fifteenth and even seventeenth for a while."

Ricciardo knows where he's missing out though, the Australian continued: "The second sector was my weak point. There you have turn five and six and all slow corners. It's a bit surprising that I'm losing a lot of time there, but I have to look at the data and try everything." That there is more to be gained should be obvious, considering his teammate was a second faster on the streets of Monte Carlo.

Sensitive car

For Lando Norris, driving the McLaren is a bit easier, as he has been racing for McLaren for quite some time. For Ricciardo, it's still a learning process and what doesn't help is that the car is rather sensitive. This makes it even more difficult for the driver to find speed, which he hasn't been able to do in Monaco.

Ricciardo: "It's mainly about corner entry and balance. I won't lie, the car is very sensitive. That's the really frustrating thing because you need a certain driving style to do it and if you don't have that, then you're not fast enough. I need to look at it again calmly."

"It's frustrating because I'm quite far away and I still have a lot of time to find. We have time, but at the moment I want to know right away where the time has gone." For Ricciardo, it is to be hoped that he can pinpoint that lost time more specifically so that he can adjust. Whether he manages to figure that out tomorrow's third free practice will show, followed by qualifying.