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Daniel Ricciardo is confident he can pull off his first 'shoey' podium celebration as a Renault F1 driver and put a disappointing 2019 season behind him.
Daniel Ricciardo admits he's desperate to pull off his first 'shoey' celebration as a Renault driver and put a disappointing 2019 Formula One campaign behind him.
The French team dropped from fourth to fifth on last year's constructors' championship despite the high-profile signing of Ricciardo, who failed to add to the seven GP wins he achieved as Red Bull driver.
"I am craving to take my shoe off, for sure," Ricciardo said in reference to his trademark podium celebration where he drinks champagne from his race boot.
"It's been a while, but I am optimistic... I feel like this year there's a bit more stability within the structure so that, on top of what we learned last year, in my mind I'm like 'OK, it has to be better.'"
Ricciardo, 30, finished a lowly ninth in the drivers' standings last term but is confident of an improved showing in his second season with the team.
"We have to move forward and we have the tools and the equipment. I do believe we will get the fourth place back," the West Australian said.
"Will it come easy? No.
"But I think if we do everything we say we're going to do, then it's going to happen. We'll get there."
"I learnt a lot about myself and obviously a lot about the team.
"One of the most important learnings for me was that it's not just about having the smartest guy in the Formula One paddock - you need every individual across the team getting the most out of themselves.
"With the people I work closest with it's about trying to find a way they work best, trying to help them be their best selves, and then also figuring out where I can perform the best on the day."
Mystery surrounded the look of the Renault car for 2020 which wasn't on show at the team's season launch in Paris on Wednesday.
Team boss Cyril Abiteboul admitted the car had yet to be finished just a week before testing starts in Barcelona but denied the team was running late.
"If anything we are much more on schedule than we were last year," Abiteboul said.
"If you optimise your schedule, you don't have a car waiting here for a couple of hours or days. The car is (being) built and going straight to Barcelona.
"On that basis, our only option is to have fake cars, show cars, altered to look like this year's car.
"For me that's a waste of money and people will always interpret based on that.
"So rather than that, no car. For anyone interested in the car, look at the pictures next week."
Ricciardo admitted he'd also not seen the finished product and is excited to see what will await him in Barcelona next week.
"I haven't yet had that moment," he said.
"Every year you have it, whether it's your first year in Formula One or your 10th, when you see the car for the first time and you see your name on it.
"There's certainly a nice little warm, fuzzy feeling but I haven't got that yet."
