Daniel Ricciardo said he’s confident about the new RB F1 Car after poor performances during the 2023 season.
AlphaTauri has rebranded as Visa Cashapp RB F1 Team (or RB F1 Team) and launched its car in Las Vegas on Thursday night.
AlphaTauri, on the other hand, was previously known as Toro Rosso. In all cases, it is Red Bull’s second or “junior” team, where drivers would go before being promoted to the main, Christian Horner-led squad.
Speaking with the media after the launch, Ricciardo said that the RB car is “going to be fast.”
“There is a lot happening with this team now that I think is more than just another phase of building the team into something more than just a Red Bull junior team, and that is something really important.”
This year will be Ricciardo’s first full-time F1 season after a half-season last year in which he also suffered an injury and was out for several Grands Prix.
“Mexico was my second race back after injury with a team that was struggling to have these results in those circumstances. It gives us a lot of hope for this year.
“Coming into a full pre-season now, I have a lot of self-confidence in myself so I think some good things can happen.
“To get back on the podium for sure would be amazin, but if you say: ‘Oh, you only have a podium this year, and the rest are 10th places, no, that is not what I want.
“I would rather a whole lot of top fives, with no podium, and just show consistency towards the front.
“That is what I really want, a bit like my second year at Renault, which people forget about now,” he added.