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Daniel Ricciardo says he is encouraged by Red Bull's RB12 after sampling the car for the first time during pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Ricciardo clocked a time of 1:26.044 to end third fastest, clocking up 87 laps at the home of the Spanish Grand Prix.
"That was pretty good," he said. "I think we had a few niggles but we still managed almost 90 laps.
"It was a day for testing reliability: for me, seeing how fit I am after a long off-season, and for the team seeing how the car is – where it’s reliable and where not.
"It was important to get in some good 15-lap runs to make sure the car is not doing anything silly and we did that. Once we have that then we can find the pace, but reliability is the first thing you want.
"The car feels familiar, it doesn’t feel strange and that’s positive. I think last year we ended the season quite well, the car was good, and this feels similar.
"First impressions are positive but it’s still too early to say much more. We had a good day and I’m ready for more."
