Fierce will drives this smiling assassin

Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo on what car he drives, who is the funniest driver on the grid and his dream team-mate

BELIEVE it or not, there is a way to wipe the smile off Daniel Ricciardo's face.

Regarded by many as the most affable driver on the Formula One circuit, it's hard to picture the cheery 25-year-old without his infectious smile beaming from ear to ear.

In victory and defeat last season the young Australian's cheeky grin was splashed across front and back pages around the world, it seemed nothing could stop him flashing the pearly whites.

But scratch the surface just a little, and you soon realise there is a serious side and an incredible depth of determination.

RICCIARDO REVEALS HIS SECRET TO SUCCESS

RICCIARDO'S READY TO ROAR IN 2015

Behind the laid back guy who smiles even when things aren't going his way, is a will to succeed so strong, that if you mention his dream being taken away from him, that famous grin is gone.

"If it all ended tomorrow I'd be pissed because it means I'm not world champion," Ricciardo, Foxtel's new ambassador and face of their F1 coverage, said.

"The title is a realistic goal and I believe with my ability I can give Mercedes a good run."

Ricciardo believes winning the title in 2015 is a realistic goal. Source: News Corp Australia

Had this declaration been made 15 months ago when Ricciardo was transitioning from Toro Rosso to Red Bull, most would have regarded it as a pipe dream held by so many rookies yet achieved by so few.

But given the impact he made in 2014 and his impressive results in pre-season testing, Ricciardo's chances of winning the world title this year are very real.

Hailed by Eddie Jordan, the man who gave Michael Schumacher his first drive, as "the best thing to happen to F1 in a long time", Ricciardo took the world of motorsports by storm last season.

His three race wins, eight podiums and third place overall finish exceeded the achievements of Ayrton Senna and Schumacher in their early years on the circuit, not to mention the expectations of Ricciardo's Red Bull bosses.

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Moreover, the fact he out-qualified his 2014 teammate and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel 11-8, finished ahead of him in 13 races and 71 points clear in the championship, it is no surprise Ricciardo thinks he has what it takes.

So what makes him so sure?

"I believe in myself, simple as that," he said.

"I had a very successful 2014 but I have got to keep aiming for bigger and better things so the world title is my goal."

His confidence is impressive and his enthusiasm almost as infectious as his smile, but the overwhelming quality this young man possesses is his resolve to get things right — whatever it takes.

Ricciardo in his Red Bull. Source: Getty Images

"You're never perfect in this sport, there is always something to learn," he said with such purpose when asked he has been working on ahead of the season opening Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.

"I was really happy with how I drove last year but I need to refine everything.

"We have learnt a lot, but the race starts for me is probably the most obvious area for improvement.

"They are a team effort and I think we have had some work to do there. It's a tricky thing to get right as there's so much involved so I've been working hard on that."

How and what he could improve for this season is just one of an abundance of duties that fall to Ricciardo as a driver.

Gone are the days of simply turning up at a race, getting in a car, driving and then partying and living a glamorous lifestyle, as portrayed in Rush, the biographical drama centred around James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

The life of a Formula One driver has transformed and is certainly not for the clock watchers among us.

Ricciardo prepares before F1 winter Testing at Circuit de Catalunya.

"There's so much that goes on beyond racing," said Ricciardo, who starts this season as Red Bull's number one driver following the departure of Vettel to Ferrari.

"Some days we're in early and there until 10pm. They're long days but I want to try and understand as much as I can, look at as much data as I can to understand where we are weak, where we can improve and tweak the car.

"There's a long list of what we look at for the car then it's on board video analysis, study how we're driving, what lines we're taking, how we can improve that and then we do the same looking at other drivers.

Lewis Hamilton will be hard to beat in his Mercedes. Source: AP

"There's so much data at our disposal we have to focus on getting everything right and covering all bases."

And it's not all mathematics, calculations and aerodynamics, there is also the issue of ensuring your body is in peak physical condition.

With drivers encountering g-forces ranging from 2g to 5g, core strength is crucial as is remaining lean given the weight restrictions imposed on teams.

"There is no other sport as physically demanding as Formula One," former driver Heikki Kovalainen once said, a sentiment echoed by Ricciardo.

"F1 is a full-body sport; your whole body from head to toe feels the impact of the g-forces," he said.

Ricciardo unleashes his beaming smile for the media. Source: Getty Images

"I train five-and-a-half out of seven days and do a combination of exercise. I top up my endurance with running and cycling because in a race your heart rate is up at 150 so we have to train at that level."

Ricciardo, who also does jiu-jitsu, says his fitness regimen has also benefited from living Monaco where fellow Australian athletes Simon Gerrans, Matt Goss and David Tanner are all on hand for some advice.

"It's cool to speak to them and hear about what they do for their sports. There's plenty to take from what they do be it physical, mental or nutritional."

With all this on his plate surely the frustrations of the job get to him at times? The prospect of no longer being a Formula One driver cannot be the only thing that riles someone working in a sport renowned for such egos?

It's not.

He chuckles to himself before revealing what it is that really makes him angry, what turns that smile to rage when he's sat behind the wheel.

"It's not that I expect people to drive fast but I'm just saying, people in the overtaking lane not driving the limit.

"Let us through! You don't need to speed but just move to the left!"

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RICCIARDO TO DRIVE FOX SPORTS' F1 COVERAGE

FOX Sports have scored a major coup by securing Daniel Ricciardo as an ambassador and as the face of their Formula One coverage for the forthcoming season.

Five days out from the first practice session at Albert Park, the broadcast powerhouse announced that Ricciardo had come on board to provide exclusive interviews after all 20 races in 2015.

News of the Red Bull driver joining forces with Foxtel comes almost a month after they secured the broadcast rights to the sport in a historic five-year deal alongside Channel 10, with every race, qualifying and practice session to be shown live and in high definition for the first time in Australia.

Thrilled to be part of the venture, Ricciardo says the deal will only serve to increase the sport's popularity across the country.

"It's exciting for Australian F1 fans and for me," he said. "The sport itself has blown up in this country and year-by-year it's getting bigger — I like to think I have a small part in that.

"The deal will put them (fans) so much closer, especially with behind-the-scenes stuff, they won't miss a thing.

"In practice two at Germany this year I did a pretty silly dance in front of my engineer, so if I choose to do this again people won't have to search the internet for it, it'll be right there direct to their screen."

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