Ricciardo Quickest in Monaco As Red Bulls Dominate
MONTE CARLO, Monaco (Dispatches) - Record-breaking Daniel Ricciardo has made it a "double top" for Red Bull when he and team-mate Max Verstappen dominated second practice for the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Australian lapped the unforgiving steel-lined streets of the Mediterranean principality in one minute and 11.841 seconds to outpace the Dutchman by nearly two-tenths of a second with the first lap under 1:12 at the track.
The pair had earlier dominated morning practice to establish Red Bull as the team to beat this weekend with Ferrari and Mercedes in pursuit.
Four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was third ahead of current series leader and defending four-time champion Briton Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. The two Finns Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari and Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes were fifth and sixth.
German Nico Hulkenberg of Renault was seventh ahead of the McLarens of Belgian Pascal Vandoorne and two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso with another Spaniard Carlos Sainz 10th in the second Renault.
It was a clear show of Ricciardo and Red Bull's harmony with the new pink-walled "hyper-soft" tyres at the resurfaced track where their nimble car looked outstanding on warm afternoon.
**********Red Bull's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo tops the times for Thursday's free practice at the Monte Carlo grand prix.
The Australian lapped the unforgiving steel-lined streets of the Mediterranean principality in one minute and 11.841 seconds to outpace the Dutchman by nearly two-tenths of a second with the first lap under 1:12 at the track.
The pair had earlier dominated morning practice to establish Red Bull as the team to beat this weekend with Ferrari and Mercedes in pursuit.
Four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was third ahead of current series leader and defending four-time champion Briton Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. The two Finns Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari and Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes were fifth and sixth.
German Nico Hulkenberg of Renault was seventh ahead of the McLarens of Belgian Pascal Vandoorne and two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso with another Spaniard Carlos Sainz 10th in the second Renault.
It was a clear show of Ricciardo and Red Bull's harmony with the new pink-walled "hyper-soft" tyres at the resurfaced track where their nimble car looked outstanding on warm afternoon.
**********Red Bull's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo tops the times for Thursday's free practice at the Monte Carlo grand prix.