Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that Toro Rosso’s 2013 car, the STR8, looks very different when compared to their previous challenger.
With the stable technical regulations, many fear the new cars will look almost identical to their predecessor’s, with just minor changes as the designers look to evolve and perfect their designs over the winter.
That isn’t the case at Toro Rosso which struggled throughout 2012, scoring just 26 points compared to 41 in 2011.
“I can tell you I’ve already seen it [the STR8] and, when looking at it closely, it’s very different from the old one,” he told Autosprint.
The Australian is confident it will be better than the STR7 and says it’s not simply an evolution of that car.
“I think it will be better than the one I’ve raced this year,” he continued. “In any case, it won’t be one of those cars that looks like a perfect copy – barely evolved – of the one that raced the previous year.”
The 23-year-old is also aware that he must raise his game next season if he’s to have a shot at potentially replacing Mark Webber at Red Bull in the future.
“I know that my targets in 2013 will have to be more ambitious,” he added.
“I won’t hide and I say that I must and can obtain a podium. I will push to the maximum to make it.
“My Achilles heel is that this year, in the first part of the season, I wasn’t aggressive enough in the races. In some aspects I was the opposite of [Romain] Grosjean. Now, however, I think I’ve found the right balance in showing my capabilities.”
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