Red Bull confirms Ricciardo to replace Webber [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs



There are few jobs in the world as highly coveted as a seat with a Formula One team - especially a top team like Red Bull, which has been dominating the series now for four years running. So when Mark Webber announced he was leaving F1 to join Porsche at Le Mans, it wasn't a matter of whether the team would find a replacement - it was only a matter of who that replacement would be. And now Red Bull has revealed the answer.

Filling Webber's seat and joining multiple world champion Sebastian Vettel at Infiniti Red Bull Racing next season will be Daniel Ricciardo. An Australian like Webber, Ricciardo followed a similar path to Vettel, advancing through Red Bull's driver development program and starting out with the "junior squad" at Scuderia Toro Rosso. Although Vettel had already won his first grand prix by the time he was called up point, Ricciardo has yet to score a podium finish. He has, however, proven his mettle by winning both the Formula Renault 2.0 and British Formula Three championships.

Choosing an up-and-comer like Ricciardo instead of bringing in an established talent like Kimi Raikkonen was undoubtedly a difficult decision for team principal Christian Horner, technical director Adrian Newey, Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz and his racing deputy Helmut Marko. But in the end the decision reminded Newey of his days at Williams when they had to find a replacement for Nigel Mansell to partner with Alain Prost. They went with their test driver Damon Hill, who went on to win the world championship. Whether Ricciardo can live up to expectations remains to be seen, but there'll be plenty of people watching to find out. In the meantime you can watch the brief video clip and read the official announcement below.Continue reading Red Bull confirms Ricciardo to replace Webber [w/video]

Red Bull confirms Ricciardo to replace Webber [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Sep 2013 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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