The purpose of F1’s new rules when they were defined was to take the cars up a notch, and based on last week’s first round of pre-season testing and drivers’ feedback, that target has clearly been hit, according to Red Bull Racing’s ‘Honeybadger’.

“On the first day it was a bit too early to say whether the new cars really ticked all of the boxes the rule changes had in mind,” Ricciardo wrote in a special feature for Red Bull.

“But by my second day in the car, day three, I think I realised more of the potential of what these cars could be.

“It made me realise that the high-speed corners will be as quick as they’ve ever been, maybe even quicker!

“Take Turn 3 at Barcelona for example – and we weren’t exactly cruising through there before – Turn 3 last week was completely flat, no lift off the throttle at all.”

The Aussie’s trademark large grin just got bigger on the realisation of the thrills he’s about to enjoy this year behind the wheel of the RB13.

“It’s a big jump, not a gradual one, and things will be coming at us pretty quickly at some circuits, that’s for sure,” he added.

“It’s going to increase everything… the intensity, the physicality, the fatigue factor, and I welcome that. It’s cool, and it’s what Formula 1 should be.

“We’ll all adapt,” he insists, “but there’s no masking that it’ll be a much more physical task this year, and that’s good for the fans and for us drivers.”

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