Ricciardo wants to seize his chance with Toro Rosso

Daniel Ricciardo was offered the opportunity to race for Toro Rosso in 2012, after participating in 11 Grand Prix in 2011 with the Hispania Racing team. The Australian driver intends to make the most of this opportunity, to possibly take the place of his compatriot Mark Webber and join the Red Bull Racing team in 2013.

There has been a lot of discussion about this (a possible replacement of Webber in 2013) in the media, which seem rather optimistic. We haven’t even tested the 2012 car yet, and they’re already thinking about 2013. It’s far off, and a lot of things can happen by then, that’s the reality, Ricciardo confided in an interview with the official Formula 1 website.

For the moment, Ricciardo does not know if he will be offered the opportunity to race for Red Bull Racing in a Grand Prix one day, but in any case, that’s what he hopes for.

I understand very well the philosophy of Red Bull and, yes, one day I would love to race for Red Bull Racing, but that’s all for now – it’s simply a goal. I have 20 races this year, I will take them one by one and make sure I leave each weekend satisfied and with no regrets.

Ricciardo confided that he was surprised by the decision made by the Red Bull junior driver program officials to oust Alguersuari and Buemi. However, he is thrilled to have been chosen to replace them.

The news was pleasant to hear for me! Yes, I was a bit surprised, as I had no hint about the direction the team wanted to take. It’s a tremendous opportunity for me and I can’t wait to be in Melbourne, or – even before – in Jerez (for the start of private testing).

Daniel Ricciardo knows that Formula 1 is a challenging sport reserved for a select number of drivers, and each one must always be at their best if they wish to keep their place. It is therefore essential to seize every opportunity.

I’m not surprised (to see that a career in F1 can end quickly), because I know how it works at this level and I think at every level of such an elitist sport. There’s always going to be someone who will come along trying to take your place, so you always have to be at the top and seize every opportunity.

Ricciardo precisely knew how to seize the opportunity offered by Red Bull to start in F1 in 2010, even if it was within the modest HRT team. The Australian driver believes it was a good experience to learn how the world of Formula 1 works.

I’ve always seen (this stint at HRT) as an opportunity. I knew that if I did good things with HRT, it could lead me to greater heights. So no matter the car’s competitiveness, I just had to learn as much as possible and make the most of it. I think it prepared me well for this year. It has been a good thing for my career.

These 11 Grand Prix will give him a slight advantage over his teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne, but Ricciardo expects the French driver to adapt quickly. He even thinks that Vergne could quickly get used to the single-seater during testing, which will minimize this advantage.

The obvious advantage is the experience, which has been offered to me unlike him (Vergne). But we’re not talking about years of additional experience. This should kickstart my season and perhaps make things easier for me during the first or the first two races.

«But if Jean-Eric has the qualities for F1, which he has already proven, this little extra bit of experience should not last the whole season. Moreover, we will arrive in Melbourne having already done quite a few tests, so things should quickly even out. At least in theory!

By the time of the first race in Melbourne, the two men will have 12 days of testing – probably six each in the interest of fairness. Ricciardo has already begun to physically prepare for this first race and the rest of the season.

From now until Melbourne, it is going to be a very busy and exciting period. I spent some time with my trainer in Australia at Christmas to be prepared for the coming year. It will be a constant process throughout the year, and we need to manage our time and energy in this busy schedule.

The Australian driver also traveled to Faenza, to the Toro Rosso team headquarters, to spend time with the engineers to prepare for the season and see how the different procedures will unfold.

I have already spent time in Italy with Toro Rosso to discuss the testing program and to get to know the whole team. There are also photo sessions, filming days, events for sponsors – it’s an endless list at this time of the year. Everyone wants their share! But it’s part of the excitement and passion. We love Formula One, concluded Ricciardo.