Ricciardo: Red Bull in best shape I've known Photogallery

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Daniel Ricciardo says Red Bull is more prepared for the upcoming Formula 1 campaign than it had been in any of his previous seasons with the team.

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Ricciardo: Red Bull in best shape I've known

Daniel Ricciardo says Red Bull is more prepared for the upcoming Formula 1 campaign than it had been in any of his previous seasons with the team. (Getty Images)

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He is heading into his fifth season with the outfit, having been promoted from Toro Rosso in 2014. (Getty Images)

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This is more laps than the team had done across two weeks last year – or across three weeks in 2014 at the start of the hybrid era – but fewer than it had logged in 2015 and 2016. (Getty Images)

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But with all teams having come up short on mileage due to difficult weather during the first week, Ricciardo is convinced Red Bull hasn't been this well-prepared for the season opener since he'd joined. (Getty Images)

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"We're certainly more ready than we were last year - and probably every year before that since I've been with the team," Ricciardo said. (Getty Images)

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"We did a lot of laps, I think the pace of the car is not bad, I think we still have some things to improve, it's normal." (Getty Images)

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"But yeah, going to the race and having confidence to push the car on the limit and to push the engine a little bit, I think we have much more confidence now." (Getty Images)

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Ricciardo said Red Bull completed all the tasks it had set out to do in the test, adding: "It's not always the case, especially the last few years it's been tough for us." (Getty Images)

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"Last week it was frustrating, I felt like we were losing track time and losing testing time before the season. But this week fortunately we got to do a lot more." (Getty Images)

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While Ferrari has set the fastest outright laptime of the test, it's Red Bull that has been frequently named as the biggest threat to reigning champion team Mercedes. (Getty Images)

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