Formula One debutant Daniel Ricciardo says a finish will be a good result at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
With Red Bull having struck a deal to place its young driver at the uncompetitive Hispania Racing Team for the remainder of the season, Ricciardo says the experience gained from finishing races will be more important than results.
“I am very happy with the deal,” said Ricciardo, who will continue to race in the Formula Renault 3.5 class with ISR Racing.
“I didn’t think I would be racing an F1 car this season so for Red Bull to have found me a seat is awesome and I’m grateful to have this opportunity and the support from both teams.
“Hopefully it won’t take me too long to adapt to the car, in the past I think I’ve adapted well to new environments and cars so I’m confident that by the end of the weekend I will have made strong progress from the start.
“My aim is to finish as many races as I can and get the experience under my belt. I think this is most important for me as a young driver, experience is priceless.
“Of course, I would also love to bring the car and the team further up the grid and have some successful races.
“For the Silverstone weekend I think my first aim is to finish, physically and mentally this will be a good reward and all part of the learning process.”
Ricciardo says he can learn a lot from team-mate Tonio Liuzzi. The 29-year-old Italian has 70 Grand Prix starts to his name with Red Bull Racing, Toro Roso, Force India and Hispania, having first entered Formula One off the back of a dominant F3000 season in 2004.
“I’ve met Tonio a few times and I think I can learn a lot from him as he is very experienced in F1, he’s a cool guy,” said Ricciardo.
“I’ve been following Hispania’s progress this year but it’s hard to really know how a team is going unless you are involved and know the inside and outs.
“But I am sure they have improved since their debut season last year and this improvement seems like it’s going in the right direction. I think they are doing as well as they could be.”
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Hispania Racing Team principal Colin Kolles has described Ricciardo as ‘one of the greatest talents in motorsport.” CLICK HERE for separate story.
See the Silverstone Race Guide below
