FORMULA ONE’S FINAL PRE-SEASON TESTING IS OVER AND THE 2015 SEASON IS UNDERWAY WITH SEVERAL RACES IN THE BOOKS. INFINITI RED BULL RACING’S DANIEL RICCIARDO AND DANIIL KVYAT ARE BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE RB11S THIS SEASON AND SHARED SOME INSIGHTS ON THEIR EARLY DRIVES OF THIS RACING YEAR.

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX, MELBOURNE – MARCH 15TH

For the opening race of the 2015 season, Daniel Ricciardo finished 6th while teammate Daniil Kvyat did not finish due to a gearbox problem. Lewis Hamilton came in 1st and his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg came in 2nd. Sebastian Vettel driving in his first race for Ferrari came in 3rd.

“It wasn’t the most exciting race. We finished the race and got some points, which was positive, and there are things we can learn. In terms of where we need to improve, the main issue is the drivability and power,” said Ricciardo.

“I had to stop on the way to the grid as we had a problem,” said Kvyat. “From now on, it can only get better so we are staying positive.”

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX, SEPANG – MARCH 29TH

Daniil Kvyat earned his first ever points coming in 9th ahead of fellow Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel claimed his first victory in his second race as a Ferrari driver. Vettel won with a clinical drive by 8.5 seconds over reigning champion Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. Hamilton’s teammate Nico Rosberg finished 3rd.

“We took the maximum out of the situation today,” said Daniil Kvyat.

Daniel Ricciardo had a bit of contact on the first turn that damaged his RB11’s front wing which seemed to deteriorate throughout the race. Ricciardo said: “It was a good job by Sebastian, a great drive from him.”

CHINESE GRAND PRIX, SHANGHAI – APRIL 12TH

Daniel Ricciardo, Finish Position: 9th

“We got into anti-stall on the start, which hasn’t happened before; we have to look and see what happened. It’s frustrating. That shaped the race and in the traffic we struggled to get by. At least some positives are that we learned a few areas where we need to improve, and the smart guys in the team can find a solution.

Daniil Kvyat, Finish Position: DNF

“This weekend has been a bit tricky, and not the happy ending we would have liked. I saw a lot of smoke coming from the rear of my car. I am not sure what happened, but the team is investigating. Kvyat had to retire on lap 16.

Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix and team-mate Nico Rosberg took the 2nd place podium for Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel finished in 3rd for Ferrari.

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX – APRIL 19TH

Daniel Ricciardo, Finish Position: 6th

“I think the race went as well as it could, and I drove well to finish sixth. The chassis is working better and through the corners we are more or less there”.

Daniil Kvyat, Finish Position: 9th

“I enjoyed the race today. It put a smile on my face. We had a good recovery to finish in the points. We gathered a lot of data to analyze and see what improvements can be made so we can move forward.”

Lewis Hamilton continued his fine form and cruised to a controlled win despite experiencing brake failure on the last lap. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen beat out Nico Rosberg for 2nd place, causing Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate to slip to a 3rd place finish.