2024 F1 season is officially underway, with Day 1 of pre-season testing over. While the tests are no true measure of a team’s race pace, they give a rough estimation of where teams might lie in the rankings. Visa Cash App RB was amongst the top performers of Day 1, with Daniel Ricciardo securing the 4th fastest time. However, a report from PlanetF1 quotes him as he tempers down the excitement of the result.
“I know some people are quite excited about us coming into the season, but I want to play a little bit cautious because we have a decent car, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
With a new identity, the V-CARB team has made considerable improvements in their car. However, Ricciardo believes there is still much work left for them. The team’s main goal is establishing themselves as genuine challengers on the grid. As such, their goal would be to close down the gap on their ‘elder sister’ team, Red Bull.
▶️ F1 2024: Pre-Season Testing – Day 1❗️#F1 #Formula1 #Testing pic.twitter.com/uJEtsqvx8i
— F1Union (@F1Union) February 21, 2024
Max Verstappen was comfortably in the lead at the end of Day 1 with a time of 1:31.344. Ricciardo, however, wasn’t too far behind Verstappen with a time of 1:32.599. Meaning there is a gap of merely 1.2 seconds between them. Keeping the times in mind, Ricciardo hopes to be in the upper-middle order this season. However, he remains cautious of having to improve to ensure the same consistently.
Daniel Ricciardo committed to focusing on the ‘now’
Ever since he returned to a driving seat in F1, Ricciardo has been linked with a move back to Red Bull. While the comeback remains a dream for him, it does not deviate his focus from what’s most important. For now, Ricciardo’s focus remains on two things. The first is to push V-CARB higher up the grid. To achieve this, he reckons it is necessary to produce weekends like the Mexico City GP from 2023. The other goal for Ricciardo is to establish himself further in the racing scene this year.
Daniel Ricciardo driving the VCARB 01 during Visa Cash App RB F1 Team Filming Day, at Misano. pic.twitter.com/cWOUjOoHbf
— Ricciardo Photos | Fansite (@ricciardophotos) February 20, 2024
After not getting to race much last season, Ricciardo wants to make up for lost time. He wants to perform consistently well while trying to help his team score maximum points. With V-CARB trying to establish themselves as an individual identity, Ricciardo feels podiums “are a wish” now. But he hopes they can continue improving and fight at the front of the grid soon.
