Ricciardo happy: "I was envious because I was competing against them."

"At the time I was envious because I was competing against them last year, it was honestly really good to see," he stated during the car launch in New York, "the start of the season was nip and tuck with Ferrari. The way Red Bull were able to press on through the year and dominate the second half of the season was really impressive."

The 33-year-old returns for his second stint with the team and when questioned about it, he smiled and stated: "It feels amazing, it's like returning home. In this second phase of my career, it feels warm and cosy. There are lots of familiar faces, I'm back in the family, a lot of fond memories."

Simulation work a key task

To finish, Ricciardo explained what his role will entail with the team, "I'll attend some races, but it's really about developing the car. [I'll do] A lot of simulator work and keep involved in the sport, whilst also keeping a close eye on what's happening. I'll try to help the team as much as possible, more behind the scenes but when I'm trackside as well, I'll get nice and close to the engineers and find out where I can help contribute.

"I will be in the factory in a couple of weeks, doing lots of sim work. That'll be my work, my contribution. Let the boys take the track stuff and I'll be working behind the scenes to develop the car and understand the direction that Checo and Max want to take it."