Daniel Ricciardo is all set to “unlock the hidden Honey Badger” when he starts training for next season’s new-look Formula one. The Australian nicknamed after the cuddly but ferocious animal finished third overall this year. He was the best of the rest behind Mercedes pair and said in a column for Red Bull he was looking forward to a harder offseason workout. Ricciardo is hopeful for a much better performance next year and he is all set to test his potential for it and he has already started working for it.
As per the 2017 regulations with wider tyres and revised aerodynamics, it should make the cars faster through the corners and harder to handle which puts more of a premium on driver’s strength. Ricciardo in a recent statement said “We’ll have to change some things up in the preparation, and the in-season training will change too,”In the past few years we’ve concentrated on things like trimming weight and keeping kilos off, and the training itself isn’t that challenging. Next year will be different. Ricciardo added “Being able to put on some strength and muscle will be more challenging and more rewarding, so I’m up for that. I’m all for making it harder. Time to unlock the hidden Honey Badger.” Ricciardo has a picture of the animal on the back of his racing helmet.
The Australian, who has won in Malaysia in October and started on pole in Monaco, has shed more than three kilograms before the start of the 2016 season in a bid to improve his performance. Reducing weight is one of the ways possible to close the gap on the uncompetitive Renault engine. Ricciardo said that third position in 2016 felt more convincing and more sustainable than it has in 2014. He said, “This year I felt like I did everything I did in ’14, but at a higher level when I really pushed myself.”
Ricciardo said, “I was able to find some pretty good levels through the year, and there were quite a few times that I was able to exceed my own expectations for what I thought I could do, maybe even surprise myself a bit.” Otherwise, Ricciardo said he was looking to get home and relax once his team commitments were over. “It’s little things that I get to experience again in the off-season that make me realize why I love being home when I can be. My mates treating me like an idiot, basically.”
