Ricciardo: Tyres are unknown

21/07/2012

Mat Coch writes:

Tyres will be the determining factor of the German Grand Prix, according to Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo who believes tomorrow's race is wide open as a result of limited dry running throughout the weekend.

The Australian qualified eleventh in changeable conditions though believed there was more on offer had he strung a better lap together. "It was so close to Q3," he said after the session. "I'm obviously disappointed not to have got that half a tenth out of me but generally speaking pretty happy with eleventh.

"We were fifteenth in Q1 in the dry," he continued. "I don't think we really had much more than that. To then go to eleventh in the wet proved that we do have a bit more speed in these conditions at the moment."

Ricciardo will take an aggressive approach into tomorrow's race, the Australian looking to make a strong start in order to maximise his chances of finishing in the points. "We want to get in the points and if we're defending for whatever, fourteenth, fifteenth, it's not really what we want to be doing.

"Hopefully in the beginning we can make up as much as we can or at least hold our ground," he added. "If we don't have the speed maybe (we'll) try a different alternative."

The mixed conditions have forced a reduced programme for teams, who don't have the vast library of data they usually gather over a race weekend.

"We're in a similar boat to Silverstone really," Ricciardo explained. "We don't really know what tyres are quickest yet either I think on the long runs.

"I did a long run on the option this morning and Jean-Eric Vergne did it on the prime and I wasn't really that much quicker on the option," he said. "Maybe over a longer stint the prime would be better."