Ricciardo and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda put the car through its initial paces at Misano in Italy ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain next week.

“Every year you get excited for a new car. I think it presents a new opportunity,” Ricciardo said.

“I think firstly, the livery, I think the car looks great.

“And from a feeling, it was just nice to get a few laps again after a Christmas break.

“It’s hard to know yet where we’ll be, of course, it’s only early, but for me personally, I felt really good getting behind the wheel again.”

RB took to social media with a short video of the car on a dry track – a marked difference from the conditions experienced by Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, and McLaren when shaking down their cars in Silverstone.

The Faenza operation heads into the coming season with a new management structure in addition to its new identity, having previously been Scuderia AlphaTauri.

Laurent Mekies has joined from Ferrari, replacing long-time team principal Franz Tost, who retired at the end of last season.

Both Ricciardo and Tsunoda are on one-year contracts with the Italian team, though they are understood to have longer-term agreements with the broader Red Bull family.

Ricciardo in particular has made no secret of his desire to earn a return to Red Bull Racing for 2025 in place of Sergio Perez, who is out of contract at the end of 2024.

Following the Misano filming day, as it was officially classified, RB will join the rest of the F1 circus in Bahrain for pre-season testing.

Three days of running are planned from February 21-23 ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix from February 29-March 2.

Feels good to be back 😏 pic.twitter.com/dxzi6cvZPZ

— Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (@visacashapprb) February 15, 2024