Although Daniel Ricciardo topped Friday's practice session by more than a tenth to Lewis Hamilton, the Australian says Red Bull still need to find time if they're to beat Mercedes on Saturday.
Mercedes often turn their engine up during qualifying, giving them an extra few tenths over their rivals. With Red Bull's Renault power unit unable to do the same, Ricciardo believes he will require a few extra tenths to be confident of securing the front-row.
"Today was pretty positive and it’s always nice to be on top of the time sheets," he said.
"I still feel we can improve a bit and we know Mercedes always find more on a Saturday when it counts. I think we still need to find a few tenths to stay in the fight, but we will work on that tonight.
"It’s nice not having to change much on the car because we don’t seem too far off. It’s always tricky here with the low grip and it’s very easy to make mistakes which you could see today with all the spins."
Ricciardo fully expects a close session with a three-way fight between Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.
"I think it's going to be, as always, pretty close. These last few races…it's going to be pretty close with the top three teams."
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