Daniel Ricciardo not fixated on Red Bull Formula 1 chances

Red Bull has long regarded Ricciardo's Toro Rosso team as the training ground for the senior squad, where Mark Webber is on a year-by-year deal.

But Ricciardo said there was "enough to keep me occupied" in his own team.

"I think we know we've got a bigger task at the end," he explained.

"With James [Key, Toro Rosso technical director] and quite a few changes in the team there's enough for us to focus on.

"I'm not looking over [at Red Bull] and I think it's fair to say they're probably in a different situation than us as well.

"We've got enough to keep me occupied, that's for sure."

The Australian downplayed the importance of the upcoming season for his career.

"To be honest, it's something I hear at the beginning of every season: 'this season is a big year' or 'it's an important season'. I mean, they all are," he added.

"It's got to a point now that I've gone through enough 'important seasons' that no one season is more important than the other.

"I think I've approached the last few seasons in the right way to obviously get to F1 and it's not like you change your approach or anything.

"It's just go and do what you know and just try to keep improving. Let experience show you the way.

"I'm not looking at the season as a whole yet, I still like to take a step-by-step process. I'm not doing anything radically different."