Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo of Australia celebrates on the podium after finishing second in Singapore. (Reuters)

Reuters/Singapore

Red Bull had been waiting all season for yesterday’s Singapore Grand Prix. The team did not quite get the result they wanted with Daniel Ricciardo finishing runner-up and Daniil Kvyat sixth but after a year in which hardly anything has gone right, it was worth it.
With just two podium finishes from the first 12 races of the season, both in the same race in Hungary, Red Bull were banking on better luck in Singapore, believing the slow and tight Marina Bay Street Circuit would work in their favour.
“We came here pretty confident,” said Ricciardo, who qualified second fastest and finished the race just 1.4 second behind Sebastian Vettel.
“I’m always careful not to be overconfident, but the pace we showed all weekend was strong, the race pace was good and I think we matched Seb. I think we have to be pretty happy with this weekend. It’s nice again to capitalise.”
Ricciardo’s joy at his best finish this season was tempered by the belief that he might have won the race had it not twice been stalled by the introduction of the safety car. Vettel had been quicker than Ricciardo off the mark but the Australian had managed his tyres well and was confident of catching up.
But any chances he had were ruined when the safety car was deployed, initially for a collision then for when a spectator walked on the circuit, allowing Vettel to pit for fresh tyres without any risk of losing his position. “I think if it wasn’t for the safety car we would’ve gotten very close,” Ricciardo said.
Yesterday’s podium finish was a rare moment of celebration for a team that dominated the sport for four years from 2010 but has struggled in the past two seasons. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and engine suppliers Renault have been in disagreement over the underperforming power unit and that fractious relationship reached a conclusion on Friday with the engine suppliers opting to part company with the team.
Red Bull are likely to be powered by Ferrari next season although team officials have not ruled out quitting the sport. “The onus is really on the powers that be to come up with a solution or risk losing not just Red Bull, but Toro Rosso as well. There is a chance, how big that chance is doesn’t really depend on us, it depends on others,” Horner told Sky News before the race.
After the race, Horner was in more buoyant mood, satisfied that Red Bull had been competitive. “I think Daniel drove a great race and to be honest with you the safety cars didn’t help us today because we were definitely stronger at the end of the stints and the safety cars just neutralised it and gave Ferrari the chance to catch their breath,” he said.