Ricciardo makes rare prediction ahead of new F1 season

In all its various guises as Minardi, Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri, RB has never picked up more than one podium in a season, with Pierre Gasly's third place at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix being the last rostrum visit.

RB has taken more Red Bull parts for the 2024 car in a bid to climb up the order as the two teams enjoy a closer relationship with Ricciardo already believing the car to be "fast" with a shakedown planned for Monday 12th February at Misano.

Starting his first full-season back in F1, the eight-time Grand Prix winner is optimistic about the package underneath him and wants to buck the long-time trend in 2024.

Ricciardo's bold prediction

"To get back on the podium for sure would be amazing, but if you say: 'Oh you only have one podium this year, and the rest are 10th places, no, that is not what I want," Ricciardo exclusively told RacingNews365.

"I would rather a whole lot of top fives, with no podium, and just show consistency towards the front, that is what I really want, a bit like my second year at Renault [in 2020], which people forget about now.

"That was a year I was really consistently in the top five, top six and a few podiums, and that is the level which I want to be able to produce again week in, week out.

"I am enjoying it, because this time last year, I was like: 'Okay, will I ever race again?' and now that I have the opportunity again, I'm just fully in love with it, and really enjoy all of it, even days like this and the media and it is fun. There is a buzz about it.

"I am not going to do this for another 10 years, it could be two years, it could be five years, I don't know, but that is not the challenge.

"I am just trying to treat every year like it could be the last and try to enjoy it, in my head the mentality is that it is not going to last forever, so I just want to put everything into it.

"If I make sure that when I do properly retire, it feels right in my heart that I did everything I could."