Despite pundits putting Lewis Hamilton at the top of their favourites list, Daniel Ricciardo is intending on giving the Mercedes driver a run for his money in 2017.
The Red Bull driver has been training hard over the winter and coupled with what he expects to be a competitive package delivered by his team and Renault, he will be pushing the Silver Arrows to their limit.
"I think we can challenge, yes," said Riciciardo in an interview with the official Formula1.com website.
"If we make the same improvements we did last year then he [Hamilton] won't have anything easy, believe me."
Physical preparation went into overdrive this winter for most, with this year's cars expected to put huge strains on drivers, marked by a big increase in G-forces.
Ricciardo headquartered himself in the US for the better part of January, spending most of his time fine tuning his preparation in a dedicated fitness center located in Los Angeles.
"It's been fun to put even more emphasis on January training this year - especially when you do it in Los Angeles!
"It’s cool here and the facilities are awesome. Every year January was somehow an intense time, but this year we can afford to train harder and not worry so much about weight and muscle."
Despite the hard work and commitment, the smiling Aussie still chose to put a funedge on his training, probably helped by the sunny West Coast weather.
"It's fun. You still can't let it get out of hand, but the intensity has risen and I can also eat a little more after I've trained, which makes me feel good! (Laughs)
"What do I do? Everything! From cycling, strength training in the gym, boxing... The list goes on and on."
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