The team, which launched its new VCARB 01 in Las Vegas late on Thursday night, will continue with its most experienced ever line-up this season, with Ricciardo joined by Yuki Tsunoda.
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The Australian said the move away from being focused on training young drivers for the sister Red Bull team and the arrival of major US sponsors will result in RB being more independent.
“How I feel about it is probably for the outside in, other teams or people who think that's it's just a Red Bull kind of junior team, it's a way for everyone to take us more seriously,” he said of the relaunched organisation.
“I think it's a year where we feel like we kind of stand on our own two feet, and have some serious partners on board. And I think that's massively beneficial for us as a team.
“The structure has changed a lot, a lot of new personnel coming in, and we’re trying to really build something that's going to fight obviously, we all hope for now, at the front of the midfield.”
Ricciardo says he likes the new look of the team, with the car livery harking back to the latter Toro Rosso days.
Source: Autosport