Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo: “I just get in the car and drive”
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo has admitted to being "anxious" ahead of the new Formula One season and confessed he doesn't really know a great deal about some of the sport's new rules.
The 27-year-old Australian will jump into Red Bull's latest iteration at testing in Barcelona next week.
Formula One's cars will once again sport a number changes for the new season, such as wider tyres and bodies alongside longer noses, with Red Bull formally unveiling its new car tomorrow.
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"For me to explain that would sound pretty average. I don't really know myself, I just get in the car and drive," said Ricciardo, in response to a question on what regulations will change in 2017.
The sport's organisers hope some the changes will give cars greater grip and enable both faster and more exciting racing. Ricciardo said bulkier cars will make racing much more "physical" for the drivers. He added:
We've been given a little bit of room to put on some weight over the off season. To put a little bit of muscle to withstand the high G-forces.
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Next week's testing in Barcelona is something of a step into the unknown for the Formula One teams, as it is the first proper chance for them to see if the hard work put in during the off season will pay off for the rest of the year.
And while Ricciardo said he'd seen pictures of the latest Red Bull cars – saying: "They look like the fastest cars in the world – he'll only really know once he is in the cockpit in Spain.
"Getting into car next week, it's kind of an anxious time, because you are like 'I really hope this car is quick' and you kind of know, you feel it after a few laps."
Top step
Ricciardo finished last season's championship in a distance third place, his tally of 256 points was well behind second-placed Lewis Hamilton's haul of 380.
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Therefore, he was coy about his chances over the whole of the 21-race calendar, which kicks off on home turf in Australia on 26 March. He said:
Goals are to be on the top step again. And I guess the goal is to be on the top step enough times that come October or November, it has put my in a fight for the title. That's the real goal.