Ricciardo keen on 'team building' away from the track with Renault

©Renault

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Daniel Ricciardo wants to spend more time with his Renault team away from the racetrack to boost his crew's motivation and improve collaboration.

Ricciardo's endured a difficult maiden campaign with Renault, with the French outfit failing to fulfill its ambition of leading F1's midfield and inching closer to its frontrunning rivals Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault.

While Renault targets improvements on the track, Ricciardo wants to spend more time with his team before the season gets underway and also during the year, away from the commotion of race weekends.

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"For next year I’ve got some ideas of things I can do more or better," said the Aussie, quoted by Crash.net.

"I feel like I integrated myself into the team well this year, but I look back and am like I can do more.

"I want to have a bit more presence before the season starts, before testing, but also have some ideas of things we can do together as a team to get us into the season - not just technically, but as a team unit.

"I want to get to Barcelona feeling like we've got some momentum before the season even starts."

Call it team building if you wish, but Ricciardo believes there are benefits to be had in terms of improving communication and motivation from spending quality time with his colleagues between races.

"Even some team morale stuff, call it team building and some activities. More importantly to spend time with the team, even away from the track," he added.

"At the track, even like with Cyril [Abiteboul], sometimes it is 'hi' and that is all you get over the weekend because we are busy. So, you don’t always get good quality time at the circuit.

"I feel that to take this relationship to the next level, getting time away from the track is good.

"Just having that feeling, even for the guys, if they know each other a bit more, they will want to work a little bit harder for each other and make some good stuff happen."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.