Daniel Ricciardo believes that AlphaTauri is no longer just a 'junior team,' and the Australian driver is confident that the Faenza-based outfit will demonstrate its new status on track in 2024.
Red Bull’s sister outfit has long been a stepping stone for Red Bull's young drivers, providing them with an opportunity to hone their skills at the highest level before moving upthe ranks.
However, the team took on a new direction last summer with the addition of Ricciardo – a veteran of 239 Grands Prix starts – to its lineup.
And next year, the 34-year-old Aussie and teammate Yuki Tsunoda will represent the most experienced driver duo that the team has ever fielded since its first season as Toro Rosso in 2006.
The presence of Ricciardo and Tsunoda, coupled with the outfit’s management restructuring and identity change signals a new era for the team, one during which it aims to move away from being just a feeder outfit for Red Bull and establish itself as a competitive force in its own right.
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With Ricciardo's experience and Tsunoda's raw talent, the team has the potential to achieve its goals.
“I feel like we're going in the right direction,” said Ricciardo. “And honestly, everything I fed back to the team, I feel like they've actioned or done their best to make it happen or make it work.
“So honestly I can't ask for too much more at the moment. It's obviously now just how quickly can we get new parts on the car, and this and that.
©AlphaTauri
“I would say, I don't want to be like patronising, but their heads are in the right place. I feel like we're all kind of meeting in the right place and looking ahead. I think they value the experience I have, and I think that's really important kind of moving forward, and they're motivated.
“I feel like this is not a junior team anymore. And I think with a lot of plans for next year hopefully we can prove that on track and get more points, like the last few races."
Ricciardo feels that the team’s progress has instilled a solid dose of confidence within its ranks.
"I feel like there's a lot for me kind of coming back in that's really exciting,” he said. “I think there's also a team that is kind of rebuilding, a little bit like how I've kind of done this phase in my career. So we're all kind of on a similar path.
“I would say there's a lot of confidence, a lot of confidence. And I think Yuki's season, I think he stepped up a lot and kind of proved himself.
“And I think the team has a lot of faith in me, and they still see me as a Red Bull driver and the results I had, and not as a McLaren driver and the results I had! So we're all in a good place."
New AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer on the grid with outgoing team boss Franz Tost.
Despite its late-season surge, AlphaTauri came up short by just three points in its efforts to seize P7 from Williams in F1’s Constructors’ Championship.
But that shortfall hasn’t dampened the team’s upbeat mindset for 2024 according to Ricciardo.
"I obviously wasn't on board for the first part of the season,” he said. “But the way the team turned it around, the updates, and then I would like to think Yuki and myself pushed each other a little bit, and that was positive for the team.
“So I think there's a lot that the team can kind of be excited for moving into next year. Of course, seventh would be nice, but a few races ago, we were talking about not finishing 10th.
"So the seventh was kind of a bonus. And it gives us a little bit more to fight for next year."
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