Ricciardo: “Red Bull doesn’t impose additional pressure”
Toro Rosso has a habit of regularly parting ways with its drivers if they do not clearly show they are capable of fighting for a future title, which undoubtedly puts some pressure on young talents. After Tonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed, Sebastien Bourdais, and more recently Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi, it is notably Daniel Ricciardo who will be brought to work within the Red Bull team.
Since the creation of the Red Bull program, only Sebastian Vettel has managed the ultimate challenge, which is moving from Toro Rosso to the main team, with the success that we know. While this observation makes it difficult to deny the effectiveness of the Austrian team’s method, it must be noted that the bar is set quite high, which is not without consequences. Despite a more than decent season, Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi were dismissed from the program without hesitation because they “were not winners.”
Faced with this way of operating, Daniel Ricciardo, the new recruit from Faenza, does not see it as an additional source of stress. Indeed, the Australian believes that he naturally tends to be very demanding of himself, as demanding as what Toro Rosso expects from its young recruits. A habit he has nevertheless cultivated within the Red Bull junior team that he has been part of for a few years now:
«Even before I joined Toro Rosso, I put pressure on myself to try to be noticed by Red Bull, so I suppose throughout my entire career. To reach this level, every driver has to put pressure on themselves. Maybe part of it is added by Red Bull, but if you want to be world champion, you know you have to deliver results. The only reason they let you go is because you don’t deliver, which probably means you don’t deserve the world champion title. That’s the world we live in.»
The 22-year-old Australian also says he is happy to be able to focus solely on his role in F1. In 2011, Ricciardo had a turbulent season, starting in Formula Renault 3.5 as a Red Bull reserve driver and finishing the second half of the season as a regular driver at HRT.
Since Christmas, I’ve had the opportunity to prioritize F1 and only F1. Last year was really intense as I was juggling with Toro Rosso, the World Series, and HRT. It also caused a lot of traveling, so… This year, I will certainly be better prepared and I’ll be able to dedicate more time to my work, to train and focus with fewer interruptions.
