14/03/2012
NEWS STORY
Although some are suggesting he is a shoo-in for countryman Mark Webber's seat - when it becomes vacant - Daniel Ricciardo is focussed solely on getting his Toro Rosso career off to the best possible start.
While he has eleven races under his belt already, some might argue that because these were with HRT (Hispania) they don't really count and that this weekend's event in Melbourne marks Ricciardo's real F1 debut.
All the popular young Aussie cares about however, is getting his Toro Rosso career going with a points-winning performance.
"To finish in the points is the real goal that I'm after," he told reporters ahead of this weekend's season opener. "I guess we'll see where our performance is on Saturday in qualifying.
"We'll try and have the best race we can," he continued, "but anything is possible. Even if qualifying doesn't go to plan, Sunday is a long race so I'll be staying positive until the end."
Ricciardo is fully aware that his stiffest opposition this weekend will come from the guy on the other side of the garage, Jean-Eric Vergne, who is making his F1 debut. The Frenchman, who totally dominated last year's Young Driver Test, is seen by many as the natural successor to Alain Prost.
"I guess I expect myself to have a bit of an edge," said Ricciardo. "I've done more races than Jean-Eric, who hasn't done any, so of course if he's going to be in front of me this weekend I won't be happy with myself. We've raced against each other for a few years now and he's quick and I know he's capable.
"For me, I've got to make sure I finish in front of him but I think we're definitely going to get the most out of the car and from the team's point of view that's very important."
Whether its 2013 or 2014, sooner or later Webber's seat will become vacant. However, Red Bull has a long standing reputation for its impatience, its desire to see drivers perform from the outset. Ricciardo is under no illusions.
"It could be my one and only year if it's not good enough so I've definitely got to step up and do as good as I can," he said. "I plan on staying in Formula One and competing at a very high level for many years to come and it's a good start if I have a good year this year."