09 February 2024 , 12:51
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Daniel Ricciardo has demanded more respect for his team which he insists is stepping out from Red Bull's shadow.
The Aussie's Visa Cash App RB outfit, referred to internally as VCARB, has unveiled a striking, Toro Rosso-esque new livery at an event in Las Vegas. And Ricciardo, who is wildly popular in the US, insists the new era shows his employer is no longer just a feeder team for the F1 champions.
He said: "How I feel about it is probably for the outside in, other teams or people who think that's it's just a Red Bull kind of junior team, it's a way for everyone to take us more seriously.
"I think it's a year where we feel like we kind of stand on our own two feet, and have some serious partners on board. And I think that's massively beneficial for us as a team.
"The structure has changed a lot, a lot of new personnel coming in, and we're trying to really build something that's going to fight obviously, we all hope for now, at the front of the midfield."
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The team finished eighth in the constructors' championship last year, when branded as Scuderia AlphaTauri. But that was largely thanks to an end-of-season burst which lifted them off the bottom, where they had spent the majority of the campaign.
Ricciardo has clear expectations of the team's performance this year. He said: "We want to be fighting at the front of the midfield. So if we're consistently a Q3 car, consistently getting points, top 10s, not just the odd race, maybe a sixth and then a 15th.
Daniel Ricciardo wants his VCARB team to be taken more seriously (Visa Cash App RB F1 Team)"I think because consistency then kind of really shows that you have an understanding of the car, and the team has a good grasp on it, and that can then help you go that step closer to the front. So consistency, that's what I'm going for so far."
And, regarding the team's new look, he added: "From what I've seen, it's cool. I think the overalls and all that, we look good, that's cool. And it's a nice thing of course presentation, it's a big thing for us.
"Performance is of course primary, and we'll have to see how that goes on track. But we've got the looking good part down, and hopefully everyone else likes it too."