Daniel Ricciardo has admitted that he's aiming for top-five finishes in the 2024 season, after driving an uncompetitive car in 2023.
The Australian only rejoined the grid part-way through last season, replacing Nyck de Vries after the Dutchman's disastrous start to his Formula 1 career.
Even an unfortunate shunt at the Dutch Grand Prix which broke his hand, couldn’t stop Ricciardo from putting in a stunning performance at the Mexican Grand Prix just one race removed from missing five in a row.
If he can find a similar vein of form to what he showed glimpses of last year, VCARB have a very solid driver pairing capable of leading their charge further up the championship.
Speaking in an interview with the F1 website, Ricciardo shared optimism ahead of the 2024 season.
“You have to aim high, but being in this sport so long, you want to remain realistic as you don’t want to end up ultimately disappointed,” Ricciardo said.
“Top-fives should be a target and if we get into that position, maybe some podiums present themselves. Of course we want to win but, you know, let’s…I think we made steps last year, let’s make a few more steps.
“Do I think top-five results are on the table – and could they be on the table in the first half of the season? I’d like to think so.”
The brand new VCARB 01 will debut at pre-season testing on 21 February as the team look to build on their impressive end to 2023 as AlphaTauri.
Should Ricciardo or Tsunoda manage to perform well, they stand a good chance of being considered for a full-time Red Bull drive in 2025.