Formula One is a sport which rarely looks back. Sure championship success is celebrated and team past glory anniversaries acknowledged, but in the spirit of competition and gaining a jump on the opposition, the F1 teams are obliged to think of the future and how best to maximise their respective packages.
    Part of that package includes the driver. With the 2013 F1 season merely weeks away, we started to look forward as well, and found ourselves pondering what might be in store for Australia's Daniel Ricciardo at the end of this forthcoming season. Having just finished his first full season as a F1 pilot in 2012 with Red Bull sister team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, he's secured another season with the team. But is this his make or break year with Toro Rosso and Red Bull, or even F1 for that matter?
    Daniel Ricciardo is of no doubt an extremely talented driver. In 2008 he won the  Formula Renault 2.0 Western European Cup and also finished 2nd in the Formula Renault 2.0 European Cup. In 2009 he won the British F3 Championship, and was the first Australian to win that prestigious title since David Brabham in 1989. Funny enough, the same year Ricciardo was born. 2nd in 2010 in Formula Renault 3.5 saw him graduate from F1 tester to full time driver. Impressive pedigree. 
    But Toro Rosso, in return for showing faith in their drivers by rewarding them with a second year, expect them to dramatically improve with the view of moving up to F1's major players, Red Bull Racing. Sebastian Vettel springs to mind. Alternatively, they are notoriously nonchalant in discarding drivers if they don't make the grade, citing business is business. Sebastian Bourdais, Tonio Liuzzi, Jaime Alguersuari, Scott Speed all spring to mind. 
    So is the pressure on Daniel Ricciardo to perform in 2013? Will he be able to meet the expectations of the Red Bull hierarchy, especially talent advisor Dr Helmut Marko? His word alone could promote Ricciardo to a potential Red Bull Racing seat left vacant by a possibly retiring fellow Aussie Mark Webber, or demote him to the F1 fringes. Will Daniel Ricciardo measure up and fulfil his F1 ambitions? Let us know what you think. Send formulafrontrow.com an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com, or simply leave a comment. 
    Cheers. 
    

    At the recent 2012 Sydney 500, V8 Supercars had a display showcasing the new Car Of The Future (COTF) entrusted to contest the V8 Supercar championship from 2013 onwards. Whilst the Erebus Motorsport/ Stone Brothers Racing Mercedes-Benz AMG E-Class was kept closely under wraps, Kelly Racing were displaying their new Nissan Altima COTF, Triple Eight Racing their Holden COTF, and Ford Performance Racing their Ford COTF. These purpose built racing cars are designed with numerous standardised components including chassis, brakes, driver position, engine position and fuel cell position. This all translates to vastly improving safety, part compatibility and simplicity of part manufacturing, therefore reducing costs across the board.
    Rest assured to fans fearing that progress means the end of tradition. After witnessing these cars up close and on circuit with a few demonstration laps at the Sydney 500, their apprehension can be relieved. They look and sound like a V8 Supercar. Drivers are already suggesting that their improved, softer handling will be conducive to closer racing, as they feel that the front end is willing to find an apex, rather than being forcefully monstered towards a corner. They are a snazzy piece of kit.
    This season also sees the introduction of six events with a 60/60 race format, whereas a 120km race is broken into a 60km race, followed by a 15min. break, and then a rolling start for the remaining 60km. This means that teams will not have to adopt fuel conservation modes to reach the chequered flag, rendering drivers free to race as hard as they can. Not only that, V8 Supercars have mirrored Nascar and Indy by decreeing that all restarts be double file. Double file restarts will inevitably raise both drivers and fans' heart rates, as once the Safety Car pulls into the pitlane, half the field will be trying to get the power down offline on the tyre marbles. Exciting times ahead. Ford vs Holden battle will still simmer away with a few Mercedes and Nissan wildcards mixed in for spice. Let us know what you think. Leave formulafrontrow.com a comment or send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com.  
    The official V8 Supercar test day at Sydney Motorsport Park is lurking closer than you think. Let the new era roll on....
                               Best wishes for 2013. Cheers.