Ricciardo & Verstappen preseason video interviews

Preseason video interviews: Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen believe that both they and the team have done enough behind the scenes to mount a title challenge in 2017.

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Red Bull were tipped by many to challenge for the title in 2017, but come testing. It was Ferrari and Mercedes who starred – and Red Bull who kept a low profile. So are the team dark horses for Australia – and do Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have the car underneath them to fight for victory this season? We sat down with team principal Christian Horner to get some answers…

I’ve never done anything like this before — this more high-performance stuff like the breathing techniques and trying to understand how to compose yourself and your breathing in a high-pressure situation or a situation with some fear involved. It’s eye-opening.

Daniel Ricciardo

Driver, Red Bull Racing Honda

The new regulations have created cars much faster than last season, with the drivers having to strengthen their bodies to cope with the larger g-force.

Australian Ricciardo, third in 2016, said: “I’ve missed the F1 circus. Let’s do the talking on the track now.

“The car is going to feel a lot different. Both front and rear tyres are significantly wider. It will increase the speed of the cars.

“The first impression of the RB13 was it looks quite beautiful. Looks sleek.

“Personally I’ve always loved having someone I can challenge myself to. Hopefully, Max and I can really establish ourselves as two top drivers.”

Last year’s fifth-place finisher Verstappen added: “First, I want to see how competitive the car is. Then I can be more precise in my goals.

“You start from zero again. Hopefully, we will have built a very competitive car. The mood is very positive. Hopefully, the new regulations will mix up the grid.

“The training is very important, especially during the preseason preparations. Our necks and upper bodies have to cope with the increased forces. It will be tough.”