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Ricciardo next to Verstappen at Spanish GP

Daniel Ricciardo will start alongside Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen after the Australian qualified sixth-fastest for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo is hoping his Red Bull can return him to the podium in Barcelona. (AAP)

Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen will start side by side in their first Formula One race since they took each other out in Baku.

Australian Ricciardo qualified sixth-fastest for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, one spot behind Verstappen, putting them together on the third row of the grid in Barcelona.

England's Lewis Hamilton took pole, leading his teammate Valtteri Bottas to the first Mercedes qualifying one-two of the season.

The Formula One world remains divided over whether Ricciardo or Verstappen was most responsible for their mid-race crash as the Australian attempted to pass at the Azerbaijan GP.

But Red Bull can ill afford a repeat between the highly competitive pair, having insisted they apologise to the entire team after their Baku collision cost them valuable points.

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While there won't be team orders, Red Bull will intervene to avoid another incident.

"We are not going to have team orders, but if we find ourselves battling too hard or losing time to the others, especially if maybe there is a faster car coming through, then the team will step in before we start banging wheels again," Ricciardo said.

Hamilton was relieved to be up front again.

"I needed this pole," said the four-times world champion.

So too did his team, winners of both crowns for the past four years but whose dominance is now under a more sustained attack than ever from Ferrari and a resurgent Red Bull.

Sunday's race will also be the first this year without a Ferrari on the front row.

Sebastian Vettel had taken the previous three poles before Saturday and, while Hamilton regained the championship lead two weekends ago, Ferrari are ahead in the constructors' standings.

"For the team it's been a struggle," Hamilton said

"So to come here and get the one-two in qualifying is a true show of all the hard work that everyone is doing."

Vettel said he was "not entirely happy" but already expected Mercedes to be strong.

"It will be close," he said.

"Anything can happen really, just like the last couple of races."

Ricciardo said he was frustrated with the gap to the front, with he Verstappen six tenths off the pole time.

"I chipped away at my lap time by a few hundredths but it wasn't enough," he said.

"It is a little bit disheartening as I don't really know what I could have done more."


3 min read

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Source: AAP



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