Vettel expects 'a hard time' from Ricciardo
Sebastian Vettel expects Daniel Ricciardo to "give me a hard time" but says he hopes to learn from his new Red Bull team-mate.
Ricciardo has replaced Mark Webber over the winter after Webber retired from F1 to drive for Porsche in the World Endurance Championship. Having graduated from Toro Rosso, Ricciardo is following the same path that Vettel did to Red Bull, but Vettel said he doesn't feel it his place to try and give Ricciardo advice on what to expect.
"To give him any advice is very difficult because everybody has his own style," Vettel said. "I'm sure that there are a lot of things that probably he will learn from me but equally I'm hoping to learn a lot of things from him. He's a different driver, he has a different view of things and I think if you keep your eyes and ears open you can always learn. Even though he doesn't have the experience that maybe Mark had over the last years, but still he's talented enough, he's earned his place and I'm sure he'll give me a hard time."
Vettel did warn that it may take Ricciardo some time to feel fully comfortable within the team and to find the best way of working despite already being familiar with the Red Bull setup.
"In the end he's grown up. That's what it says in the passport and also as I've got to know him, he became a man. Obviously he's been in Formula One for a couple of years now and has experience. Surely it's a new step for him, a new environment; not that much of a step because he knows some of the people already. He's been to the simulator quite a few times over the last couple of years and he knows the staff.
"But still it's a different environment to work in. To work with these people is different to just knowing them, so he will obviously have to get to know everybody and - speaking from my experience - it takes some time to speak the same language when you're talking to the engineers etc.
"Everybody is happy for him to arrive at the team and we're looking forward to having him on board. Obviously there are a lot of new things this year, everybody has to adapt, so I'm sure he will find his way quickly."
