Ricciardo hoping for ‘hyper-car’ testing chance

The road-legal AM-RB 001, developed as a joint-venture between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing, made its official debut yesterday (European time).

And, after getting his first look at the Adrian Newey-designed car, Ricciardo said his hat is officially in the ring in terms of on-road testing.

“I hope so,” he said when asked if he’s be part of the development team.

“For me as well, today is the first time I’ve seen it. I’d seen some sketches, but nothing really close to what I’m seeing now.

“I’m pretty excited looking at it. I’d love to participate in some development if I could. And I still can’t quite believe it’s going be on the streets, it looks like a pretty amazing race car.”

Ricciardo even joked that he had tried to work his own AM-RB 001 into his recently-extended contract.

“That was really the delay [with the contract],” he said. “Obviously I wanted to get it for free, but in the end I’ve got to pay for the tyres. I think that’s good enough.”

Looking for Austria redemption

Following what he admits was a disappointing Austrian GP, Ricciardo says he is looking forward to the opportunity to make amends this weekend at Silverstone – particularly as the British GP circuit is one of his favourites.

“I love back-to-back races. I like when you get the ball rolling,” said Ricciardo.

“We just came away from Austria, for me I felt like I didn’t really get on top of the Sunday as well as I would have liked. To get another chance within seven days is just what I need. I’m hanging out.

“Silverstone has honestly always been a personal favourite of mine. I love the high-speed corners, especially since I’ve been driving the Red Bull. It’s a track you can really feel the aerodynamics work on a race car, and that’s where you get the real fruits of the team’s labour. So I’m looking forward to that.”