Verstappen, who became Formula One’s youngest race victor in Spain, will be using an older-specification Renault engine than Ricciardo in Sunday’s showcase race around the harbourside track.
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World Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton topped the times ahead of his Mercedes team-mate and rival Nico Rosberg in Thursday’s (May 26) incident-hit opening free practice for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton said he did not feel he had the smoothest practice session but echoed his team-mate’s view of Red Bull’s form.
“Come qualifying and race day Mercedes will turn it up but hopefully I can stay in front”, said the Australian. “We had good traction out of the last chicane and I knew that was a strong point, so I was always trying to get a good exit”. Just, ‘We have still have all the respect for you, ‘ and he said the same.
“I’m not going to be thinking about Barcelona”, said Rosberg, who is bidding to become only the second driver in the sport’s history to win the Monaco Grand Prix on four consecutive occasions. “There is not much more to say”.
“I have good confidence with the auto”.
The Aussie got stuck behind Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen during a hot lap in the luxurious French city and let his anger out with a one-fingered salute on the track, then he let everyone know what he really thought of the Fin when he got back to the pits.
Vettel was ninth, but spun twice, damaging a rear-wing end-plate when he tagged the barriers at Mirabeau and suffering a puncture after a brush with Ste Devote wall.
Nico Rosberg was over 0.3s off Hamilton, but both Mercedes are expected to focus on one-lap pace in final practice after only finding marginal improvements between first and second practice on Thursday.
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was third quickest.419 behind Hamilton, who has gone eight races without a win since sealing the championship at the United States GP with three races to spare.
Previous year in Austria, Hamilton had pole but Rosberg made a brilliant start, screeching past him on the way to victory.
Lewis Hamilton has revealed he held a conversation of “pure respect” with Nico Rosberg in the Monaco paddock a week after their collision at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton was happy to say that he and Rosberg had spoken: “We arrived very cool and chilled”.
The two Mercedes drivers have crashed out of the last race in Barcelona after colliding with each other on the first lap of the Spanish Grand Prix.
“We have seen our competitors make steps forward, which have given us an even bigger battle on our hands”.
Vettel tasted victory in Monaco only once – driving for Red Bull in 2011 – and celebrated by somersaulting into the team swimming pool.
“The team is responsible for giving them the best possible cars and they are responsible for getting the best out of them”, Wolff said.
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“We are having talks and we are just finding out what we want, what each other’s objectives are, and this is a regular process”, the team’s principal said.
