Ricciardo backs Red Bull to challenge for titles

Daniel Ricciardo believes that he and Red Bull can beat Mercedes and Ferrari in 2018. Last season, Red Bull were tipped as the favourites to take the challenge to Mercedes for both titles, as an aerodynamic shift was right up its alley.

However, it was Ferrari who produced the stronger car, leaving Red Bull in no man's land for much of the season. Its car easily cleared the mid-field but played catch-up to the leaders throughout the 20-race calendar. Towards the end of the year, the race pace of the 2018 car showed with Max Verstappen picking up a duo of wins in Malaysia and Mexico.

But Ricciardo thinks that Red Bull can hit the ground running this year, pointing out that there are no major technical regulation changes coming into play. When asked if he felt Red Bull can fight for both world championships in 2018, he said: "I believe so, [as there are] not so many rule changes.

"We improved the car a lot last year so I guess on principle we should just be able to carry that over for this year and keep evolving from there. We should be able to fight more often. Time will tell, but I’m confident. I feel there’s a good intensity, everyone’s not getting too excited. We know we’ve got some work to do if we really want to achieve what we want. So we all know that we’ve got some desires that we want to attack this year."

Fergal Walsh