Determined to take on Mercedes and fend off teammate Max Verstappen in 2017, Daniel Ricciardo aims to take a step up next season.

Despite the ever-present grin, the quick sense of humour, the disgusting shoeys and the all-round feeling that he is the bloke you'd like your sister to marry and you'd enjoy a few beers with, once the visor goes down and the lights go out, Daniel Ricciardo is a balls-out, hard-as-nails racing driver.

Finishing third in the Drivers' Championship, equalling his achievement in 2014 when he out-shone four-time title winning teammate Sebastian Vettel, Ricciardo is determined to take a step forward in 2017.

However, not only does he aim to close the gap to the Mercedes duo - whoever that might comprise - he also needs to fend off his ever-improving teammate Max Verstappen.

This and the new regulations, which are going to make the cars physically harder to drive, means that the popular Australian needs to be at his very best. Consequently, he is taking inspiration from his mascot, the Honey Badger.

"We'll have to change some things up in the preparation and the in-season training will change too," he admits in a column for Red Bull. "In the past few years we've concentrated on things like trimming weight and keeping kilos off, and the training itself isn't that challenging. Next year will be different.

"Being able to put on some strength and muscle will be more challenging and more rewarding," he continued, "so I'm up for that. I'm all for making it harder... time to unlock the hidden Honey Badger."

In case you are not aware of the Honey Badger, they are fearsome creatures native to Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.

It is widely recognised that they are mean, thick-skinned, will eat anything, solitary, smart, have powerful teeth, skunk-like but lazy are in terms of housekeeping.

Though he equalled his 2014 final standing this season, the Australian insists that this year was more rewarding.

"This year I felt like I did everything I did in 2014, but at a higher level when I really pushed myself," he admits. "I was able to find some pretty good levels through the year, and there were quite a few times that I was able to exceed my own expectations for what I thought I could do, maybe even surprise myself a bit."