Ricciardo claims he changed overtaking in F1

Daniel Ricciardo believes his exploits in his first season with Red Bull in 2014 "changed the level of overtaking" within Formula 1, having given him the platform to display his razor-sharp skills in on-track battle that have come to characterise his reputation on the grid.

Ricciardo has been part of the Red Bull family for over a decade as a junior driver and part of Toro Rosso and then the works team, but the era will come to an end on Sunday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as he will join Renault in 2019.

In his latest, and possibly last, Red Bull diary, he looked back on his 2014 campaign, in which he won three grands prix and bested a then-reigning champion Sebastian Vettel at the team.

“That’s the year I look back at being the most fun for me and the most important for my career since,” he said.

“The wins were big, and I had a massive battle with Fernando [Alonso] in Germany where we raced really hard but fair, and he had some praise for me afterwards which was big at the time.

“I feel ’14 didn’t just shape me and my approach from then on, it changed the level of overtaking from other guys in the sport as well.

“Not many people were doing that, coming from a long way back and trying big passing moves.

“Maybe they learned from me and the way I was racing, so perhaps I set a new level and showed people what was possible, and the drivers that were willing to try it were trying it.

“I realise that sounds a bit cocky, but I really do believe that.

“I’m not saying all of them can do it, but at least more of them are trying!”

Ricciardo has suffered from a disappointing final campaign with Red Bull as he has had DNF results which has severely hampered his championship ambitions.

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