Ricciardo expecting no repeat of the issues Webber had at Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo says he is not worried by his predecessor and compatriot Mark Webber's sometimes difficult relationship with the Red Bull Formula 1 team
Webber's five seasons alongside Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull were marked by tense flashpoints including this year's Malaysian Grand Prix 'multi 21' team orders spat and the 2010 Turkish GP collision, plus myriad other occasions when Webber alluded to Vettel being favoured by some Red Bull factions.
Asked if he would go in the opposite direction to Webber's sometimes abrasive approach, Ricciardo replied: "Definitely".
"I can't go in there based off his experiences," he told AUTOSPORT.
"It's fair to say that his relationship with the team has not been 100 per cent clean but just because we're both Australian doesn't mean I go in there with that on my piece of paper.
"I'm going there with a fresh approach and I have to.
"For my own benefit, I will go in there positively and work it out for myself. It won't rub off on me."
Ricciardo also dismissed the perception that Webber had more mechanical problems than Vettel.
"When Mark had his failures, I didn't call Red Bull and say 'why did that happen?'" said Ricciardo.
"So I don't know the ins and outs but the way I see it I just put it down to bad luck.
"That's what it looks like and I can't see any reason why they would want to make life difficult for one of the drivers.
"I'm definitely coming in there without being worried.
"Of course, Seb is the man, with his four world titles, and I have to try to earn my place in the team but I think they are going to leave the door open for me."
Share Or Save This Story
Did Bianchi have potential to become F1 world champion?
Autosport 75: Kubica's road to recovery and beyond
Autosport 75: When Red Bull had its own intra-team fight like Norris vs Piastri
Who could stand-in for Verstappen at Red Bull if he gets an F1 race ban?
Top five Australian F1 drivers ranked: Brabham, Webber, Piastri and more
Why life after racing in F1 has plenty of upsides for Ricciardo
The 'lessons learned' at Red Bull after Verstappen Canada GP criticism
Do penalty points still serve any purpose in F1?
Where you can find the best battles of F1 2026
F1 Monaco GP: Hamilton heads Ferrari 1-2 from Verstappen in FP2
F1 Monaco GP: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in first practice, Hadjar and Alonso suffer crashes
LIVE: F1 Monaco GP live commentary and updates - Leclerc tops FP1, Hadjar and Alonso suffer crashes
LIVE: F1 Monaco GP commentary and updates - Hamilton leads Leclerc in red-flagged FP2
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments