- Red Bull
Ricciardo makes 'big step forward' in 2014
Daniel Ricciardo admits his three victories for Red Bull in a year dominated by rivals Mercedes came as a surprise as he emerged as one of Formula One's top drivers in 2014.
Ricciardo won in Canada, Hungary and Belgium this year, capitalising on either Mercedes mistakes or the conditions to win in a less competitive car. Mercedes won some races with a 30-second advantage over the rest of the field and Ricciardo admits it was something of a surprise to beat them.
"Deep down I always believed that I could do it and that if I had the equipment and the opportunity I could do it but looking back on it, looking at Mercedes domination and for me to be the only driver that broke that, yeah that surprised me a little bit," he said at the FIA Gala Awards event.
Ricciardo feels like he has now established himself as one of the top drivers in F1 and now wants to make the next step and become a world champion.
"I think this year was a big step forward in my career, a big step in the direction I wanted it to go in. Obviously the Mercedes were dominant, but I was able to score the only other three wins of the season, so that was a big year for me. Once you make one step you want to keep making more.
"I won't settle for anything else now. We'll see. I'm sure Mercedes are going to very quick again next year. But the gap's there for us to close, so hopefully we can do that and I'm looking forward to the future now."
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