Former Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber says his replacement Daniel Ricciardo will give reigning champion Sebastian Vettel a hard time in qualifying in 2014.
The Aussie announced his departure from F1 at last year's British Grand Prix, with Ricciardo being confirmed at Red Bull in September.
The 24-year-old has spent the last two seasons racing for Toro Rosso, often out-performing the car in qualifying but dropping back during the race.
Webber, who will race in the World Endurance Championship with Porsche, is expecting him to give Vettel a run for his money this year.
"He’ll go well. I think he’ll give Seb a real hard time in qualifying – it’ll be 50:50 in the first year, I reckon," he said in an interview for the March issue of Motor Sport Magazine.
The 37-year-old only managed to out-qualify Vettel twice during his final year in F1, adding: "I took a few off Seb last year – and the blown floor is gone now. I think Daniel will be fine, and it certainly won’t hurt him that he’s come through the Red Bull system. I just hope he gets better starts than I did."
Despite his rather difficult relationship with Vettel during their time as team-mates, he still holds the four-time champion's ability in high regard. However, he believes Fernando Alonso is still the best racer on the grid.
"I always thought Fernando was the best, and I still do – on Sundays. On one lap, though, I think Seb’s got him covered – and I’m talking in terms of preparation, not just pace," he said. "Fernando’s had a lot of poles in his time, but probably age has come into it – you lose a little bit. In the race, though, he’s got more strings to his bow than anyone else, and he’s relentless.
"Seb’s strengths, as we know, are escaping at the start, and running in clean air – when you get these things in clean air now, it’s a whole other story, in terms of tyres and so on. He’s like a computer, isn’t he? His only weakness was always fast corners."
Ricciardo made his debut as a Red Bull Racing driver at the first winter test in Jerez, driving the RB10 on days three and four. However, reliability issues meant he spent most of his time in the garage.
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The 24-year-old has spent the last two seasons racing for Toro Rosso, often out-performing the car in qualifying but dropping back during the race.
Webber, who will race in the World Endurance Championship with Porsche, is expecting him to give Vettel a run for his money this year.
"He’ll go well. I think he’ll give Seb a real hard time in qualifying – it’ll be 50:50 in the first year, I reckon," he said in an interview for the March issue of Motor Sport Magazine.
The 37-year-old only managed to out-qualify Vettel twice during his final year in F1, adding: "I took a few off Seb last year – and the blown floor is gone now. I think Daniel will be fine, and it certainly won’t hurt him that he’s come through the Red Bull system. I just hope he gets better starts than I did."
Despite his rather difficult relationship with Vettel during their time as team-mates, he still holds the four-time champion's ability in high regard. However, he believes Fernando Alonso is still the best racer on the grid.
"I always thought Fernando was the best, and I still do – on Sundays. On one lap, though, I think Seb’s got him covered – and I’m talking in terms of preparation, not just pace," he said. "Fernando’s had a lot of poles in his time, but probably age has come into it – you lose a little bit. In the race, though, he’s got more strings to his bow than anyone else, and he’s relentless.
"Seb’s strengths, as we know, are escaping at the start, and running in clean air – when you get these things in clean air now, it’s a whole other story, in terms of tyres and so on. He’s like a computer, isn’t he? His only weakness was always fast corners."
Ricciardo made his debut as a Red Bull Racing driver at the first winter test in Jerez, driving the RB10 on days three and four. However, reliability issues meant he spent most of his time in the garage.
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