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Daniel Ricciardo has vowed to use the leftover energy he has from this season in comparison to his F1 rivals and “come out swinging” for 2024.
After leaving McLaren at the end of last year with a season remaining on his contract, Ricciardo was picked up by former team Red Bull as a reserve driver last winter, with the Australian soon recapturing his drive and rediscovering his character.
When AlphaTauri sacked Nyck de Vries after 10 grands prix, Ricciardo made a quicker-than-expected return to racing in F1, albeit initially with a two-race cameo in Hungary and Belgium before breaking his hand in a crash during practice for the first race after the summer break in the Netherlands.
The 34-year-old missed five races through recovery before seeing out the final five grands prix, helping AlphaTauri to an eighth-placed finish in the constructors’ championship when for so long it appeared as if it would finish last.
In racing in just seven grands prix overall, compared to the full 22-race campaign for all of the other 19 drivers, Ricciardo insists he has energy to burn which he plans to put to good use.
“Normally, at this point in the year I’m so over it, and all I can think about is going home to Australia,” said Ricciardo.
“Obviously, we don’t race anymore. That’s fine. I’ll just use this extra energy I have, and others don’t, to start my pre-season early, get a little bit of a head start on everyone, and come out swinging next year.”
Crucially for Ricciardo, he can feel AlphaTauri is heading in a strong direction developmentally.
A range of updates were added to the car over the final few races, including a new floor to the AT04 ahead of the race in Abu Dhabi as part of the team’s plans to hit the ground running next season.
Ricciardo also feels he has quickly settled into the team, and that his experience is proving pivotal.
Asked by Speedcafe as to what he was expecting from the team in terms of additional development over the winter, he added: “There are definitely some things we found in the car as the season went on.
“We brought an update here (Abu Dhabi) and I think it was positive. I feel like we’re going in the right direction.
“Everything I fed back to the team, I feel like they’ve actioned or done their best to make happen or make it work. I can’t ask for too much more at the moment.
“It’s obviously now just how quickly can we get new parts on the car. I don’t want to sound patronising but their heads are in the right place, we’re meeting in the right place, and we’re looking ahead.
“They value the experience, and that’s really important moving forward, and they’re motivated.
“I feel like this is not a junior team anymore, and with a lot of plans for next year, hopefully, we can prove that on track and get more points as we did in the last few races.”
