F1: Ricciardo admits he must improve starts

Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he and Red Bull have work to do to improve their Formula 1 starts. The Australian dropped from sixth on the grid to seventh behind Kevin Magnussen at the start of last Sunday's United States Grand Prix, and has often lost positions as the red lights have gone out in 2014.

This has been partly put down to the fact that Red Bull uses the Renault engine, which does not have the same power as the Mercedes-powered cars Ricciardo is usually surrounded by. But while Ricciardo took responsibility for the slow getaway at Austin, he said that Red Bull also accepted that it could have done better.

"If I look back at Toro Rosso, yes, my starts were average and I don't think I've had too many blinders," said Ricciardo. "In the World Series [by Renault], actually they were really good but Formula 1 has got the best of me so far.

"This year, the team has put their hand up a fair few times," he added. "The start is not so straightforward, the procedures, so it's hard to get 100 percent right from the driver side as well. But you are normally in that 90 percent window, which is good enough.

"Even last week, I felt it was more my fault but the team was still saying 'We can do this better.' So it's a combined thing at the moment, which we are trying to get on top of."

Even though the starts have been an area for concern, Ricciardo added that he and the team are not preoccupied by the problem.

"I'm not coming into a weekend thinking we're going to lose places off the start," he said. "Obviously, it has been a trend more often than not, but we will keep working at it and get things right."

Originally on Autosport.com