BAKU, Azerbaijan -- After topping Friday practice, Daniel Ricciardo is confident he is among the favourites for this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix but is under no illusions about the threat from Ferrari and Mercedes ahead of qualifying.
Ricciardo's best time was just 0.069s clear of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari in second and 0.7s quicker than the fastest Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. Red Bull has struggled for one-lap pace compared to its two main rivals this year, but Ricciardo -- who won in Baku last year -- is remaining cautiously optimistic about his chances this weekend.
"We were quick today for sure," he said. "I think we're pretty confident. Qualifying, I'm not sure how much the others can go quicker, but I think even if we don't qualify on the front row, I think we'll still have a very strong race car. We're still in the group of favourites.
"With a street circuit, you need the confidence in yourself and the car. The car was well-behaved. It didn't take any confidence away from me. There was a good relationship between myself and the car today. We'll build on that tomorrow. It's nice to be back here and be on the pace. We'll try and keep it going for the rest of the weekend."
Ricciardo's advantage came in the middle sector, which is made up of tight corners around the Old City walls and contrasts with the long straights in sectors one and three. Mercedes and Ferrari both have qualifying engine modes that Red Bull's Renault power unit simply can't match, but Ricciardo said he would play to his car's strength on Saturday afternoon.
"The second sector is good with the castle. I thought the car was really strong in that part of the track. I was comfortable, confident. It was probably the place I felt most comfortable.
"Our car in the tight stuff is really good. As always in qualifying, I think the others will turn it up a bit more [for qualifying]. I think we'll probably lose out a bit more in sector one and three tomorrow. Sector two will be key for us."