Daniel Ricciardo says his own confidence around the streets of Monte Carlo was as important as Renault's upgraded engine as he topped the second practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Ricciardo finished a huge six tenths clear of Mercedes on Thursday afternoon on a weekend when Red Bull has given him the one available Renault engine upgrade allocated to the team. Mercedes seemed to be focusing a bit more on longer runs over Thursday's two sessions but Ricciardo's pace suggests Red Bull could challenge for pole come Saturday afternoon, following Monaco's traditional rest day tomorrow.
Explaining his advantage, Ricciardo said: "The engine is a little bit but it's not ... We've got a good car around here so I think it's a little bit down to both. I've always said let's see how we go in qualifying but today I'm happy.
"This track is certainly one where you can find a little bit more if you're willing to push it on the limit. I've always enjoyed it around here, I felt more comfortable this afternoon with the balance, I think we made good progress."
When asked how much of the pace was down to him and how much was down to the engine, Ricciardo smiled and said: "I would say 99.9 percent me, 0.1 percent all the other little bits and pieces here and there!"
Though Friday is effectively a day off for F1 there are still other support races taking place, raising the possibility of the track evolving ahead of Saturday. Despite that, Ricciardo sees no reason for Red Bull to make too many changes.
"I think we are in a pretty good window now. It depends what the track is going to do on Saturday but if it doesn't change much then I don't think we'll be touching too much, just send it on Sunday. I've got good confidence with the car now so I think that's the most important thing with the car around here."