Ricciardo backing Red Bull for F1 title challenge

Daniel Ricciardo believes Red Bull can take the fight to rivals Mercedes and Ferrari for both Formula 1 world championships in 2018. 

Having won every F1 world championship title between 2010 and 2013, Red Bull was unable to continue its success into the V6 hybrid era which began in 2014 and saw the start of Mercedes domination in the sport, with the German manufacturer replicating the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s achievements. 

Mercedes’ stranglehold at the top of the F1 pecking order came under greatest threat in 2017, as a resurgent Ferrari made the most of an aerodynamic regulation overhaul to take the fight to the Silver Arrows, but Mercedes still secured both world championships for a fourth consecutive year. 

After a slow start to the campaign, Red Bull made significant development gains and managed to record three wins, despite being plagued by a plethora of reliability issues throughout the season.

When asked if he felt Red Bull can challenge for both world championships in 2018, Ricciardo said: “I believe so, [as there are] not so many rule changes. 

“We improved the car a lot last year so I guess on principle we should just be able to carry that over for this year and keep evolving from there. We should be able to fight more often. Time will tell, but I’m confident.”

The Australian, whose sole win in 2017 came at a hectic Azerbaijan Grand Prix, praised the mood in the Red Bull camp ahead of the start of the new season.

“I feel there’s a good intensity, everyone’s not getting too excited. We know we’ve got some work to do if we really want to achieve what we want. So we all know that we’ve got some desires that we want to attack this year.”