Daniel Ricciardo learns from a disappointing season as he aims for bigger things before signing his next contract

Daniel Ricciardo learnt a lot from a disappointing debut season with Renault and is determined to use his new-found knowledge for good in 2020.

Daniel Ricciardo admits he’s desperate to pull off his first “shoey” celebration as a Renault driver and put a disappointing 2019 F1 campaign behind him.

The French team dropped from fourth to fifth on last year’s constructors’ championship despite the high-profile signing of Ricciardo, who failed to add to the seven GP wins he achieved as Red Bull driver.

“I am craving to take my shoe off, for sure,” Ricciardo said in reference to his trademark podium celebration where he drinks champagne from his race boot.

“It’s been a while, but I am optimistic … I feel like this year there’s a bit more stability within the structure so that, on top of what we learned last year, in my mind I’m like, ‘OK, it has to be better’.”

Ricciardo, 30, finished a lowly ninth in the drivers’ standings last term but is confident of an improved showing in his second season with the team after learning a lot in 2019.

“We have to move forward and we have the tools and the equipment. I do believe we will get the fourth place back,” the West Australian said. “Will it come easy? No.

“But I think if we do everything we say we’re going to do, then it’s going to happen. We’ll get there.

“I learnt a lot about myself and obviously a lot about the team. One of the most important learnings for me was that it’s not just about having the smartest guy in the Formula One paddock — you need every individual across the team getting the most out of themselves.

“With the people I work closest with it’s about trying to find a way they work best, trying to help them be their best selves, and then also figuring out where I can perform the best on the day.”

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Ricciardo is hoping to become even closer with his Renault colleagues during their second year together.

RICCIARDO ‘ANSWERING ALL CALLS’

Meanwhile, Ricciardo says he is “answering all calls” with dream drives at teams like Ferrari possibly becoming vacant in 2021.

The Aussie signed a two-year deal with Renault, taking him until the end of the 2020 season, and other F1 stars whose contracts run out at the end of this season include six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari.

“For a lot of drivers it’s an exciting season, because not many of us have a contract right now,” Ricciardo said.

“I think it’s the first time in a long time in February only a few drivers have contracts for next year, maybe three or four but that’s it.

“So you are going to see a lot of drivers in the first few months of the year trying to make an impression, and from that you are going to see a lot of good competition.

“Maybe some mind games, I don’t know what’s going to happen but it’s going to be cool.” Asked whether he’d pick up the phone if Ferrari rang Ricciardo laughed and said: “Mate, to be honest, I’m obviously answering all calls.

“But you know I signed a two-year deal with Renault … but for me this is like year one in terms of making things happen with this team.

“I think last year we did bring some positives but now I feel there’s some stability and this is the year to really stamp some authority and get what we want.

“So my complete focus is with the yellow and with France at the moment.”

Ricciardo may one day find himself at Ferrari or Mercedes.

RENAULT’S CAR STILL A MYSTERY

Mystery surrounded the look of the Renault car for 2020 which wasn’t on show at the team’s season launch in Paris on Wednesday.

Team boss Cyril Abiteboul admitted the car had yet to be finished just a week before testing starts in Barcelona but denied the team was running late.

“If anything we are much more on schedule than we were last year,” Abiteboul said. “If you optimise your schedule, you don’t have a car waiting here for a couple of hours or days. The car is (being) built and going straight to Barcelona.”

Ricciardo admitted he’d also not seen the finished product and is excited to see what will await him in Barcelona next week.

“I haven’t yet had that moment,” he said.

“Every year you have it, whether it’s your first year in Formula One or your 10th, when you see the car for the first time and you see your name on it. “There’s certainly a nice little warm, fuzzy feeling but I haven’t got that yet.”

AAP, AFP and AP