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Racing outside top ten isn't enough anymore - Ricciardo

ESPN Staff
March 1, 2013 « Live F1 testing from Barcelona | Valsecchi to test Lotus after Raikkonen calls in sick »
Daniel Ricciardo has his sights set on more points in 2013 © Sutton Images
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Daniel Ricciardo is aiming to prove his talent in his second year in Formula One and will not be happy trailing around at the back of the midfield.

This year will be Ricciardo's second full season in F1 with Toro Rosso as he goes head-to-head with team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne for a potential Red Bull drive in the future. After scoring 10 points in his first year with a series of ninth- and tenth-place finishes, he says he wants to be a consistent top-ten finisher in 2013.

"I never want to come across as cocky or big-headed, but in your first full season in Formula One you are just as happy to be there and to have arrived in Formula One, but as soon as you get used to the environment it's not enough [anymore]," he said. "So coming into the season this year it's not enough to just be here and be racing, I want to be here for a purpose and make something good happen.

"That competitiveness is going to keep growing and I guess we'll see more of it this year. But I'll try to contain it so I don't come across like a dickhead or something!"

He added: "I'm still very happy to be in Formula One, but it's not enough now. I want to get as much as I can out of it, so the confidence I have now is higher and for those reasons I really believe I can make the results and I put a lot of pressure on myself to do that. If I'm just racing but not doing anything spectacular it's not enough."

Asked what would constitute a good season, Ricciardo said: "To get more points than last year. If we can consistently finish in the points that would be a good start. In the points you are really racing for something and when you're racing for 15th and 16th for sure it's not as fun. When there's a prize on the line it makes it more exciting. Definitely more points finishes [is the aim] and to finish ahead of my team-mate - not by one point but hopefully by a convincing amount. That would make me happy."

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