Abu Dhabi: Daniel Ricciardo says the relentless pursuit of success and impressive work ethic of his Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel will lead to the German returning to his former glories at Ferrari.
The Australian has surprisingly consistently outperformed the four-time defending F1 world champion this season to lie third in the standings — 55 points ahead of fourth-place Vettel — after winning three grands prix.
After appearing invincible in securing an astonishing four world titles on the trot, Vettel has been F1’s forgotten man this season — left in the slipstream of the dominant Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
But Ricciardo’s immense respect for Vettel remains undiminished, and he expects the 27-year-old to excel at Ferrari next season after confirming his move on Thursday.
Speaking on Friday ahead of Sunday’s Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Ricciardo said: “We’re never happy with our cars and always want something better from them. The way he approaches that side of things, he’s quite ruthless but also quite fair, too.
“He’s got a good balance of being serious and looking the team in the eye and saying: ‘I need this’ or ‘I want this’, but at the same time he earns their respect by acting that way. He doesn’t rest, he’s not going to be happy being behind and I think the way he goes about it is pretty good. That’s probably the one thing [that has stood out].”
Ricciardo foresees no problems for Vettel in adapting to life at F1’s most iconic team — despite having been with Red Bull since his junior racing days.
The 25-year-old said: “I don’t think he’s in for a shock, no, but he’s in for a change, that’s for sure.
“He’s been with Red Bull for a lot longer than me, from the junior days — 15 years or something crazy he’s had a Red Bull helmet. That’s pretty much double the stint I’ve done.
“The biggest difference is at Ferrari, he’ll look at his helmet and there will be no more Red Bull branding so he’s got to think of a new design.
“But I think with the team it’s like any change, he’ll adapt and he manage. I think the first test will feel weird for him but I’m sure by Melbourne [the venue of the first race of the 2015 season, the Australian Grand Prix] it will feel normal for him.”
Ricciardo added that he hopes to share the podium with his teammate and rival in a fitting send-off from Red Bull on Sunday.
“Hopefully we’ll be fighting for that spot on the podium,” he said.
“It would be nice to maybe have a battle with him and to end the season like that would be a great farewell for him and the team.”
