Young Australian confirmed as Mark Webber's successor
Tuesday 3 September 2013 08:29, UK
Red Bull have confirmed Daniel Ricciardo will drive for the team from the start of next season, replacing his fellow Australian Mark Webber.
When Webber at the British GP in late June announced his plans to quit F1 at the end of the season, current Lotus driver Raikkonen was immediately installed as the favourite to replace him. However, Ricciardo's chances appeared to have been strengthened after he was handed the chance to test for Red Bull at the Silverstone Young Driver Test. Speaking in the press release issued by the team on Monday night, Horner said the decision to promote the Australian had been "very logical". "It's fantastic to confirm Daniel as the team's race driver for 2014, he's a very talented youngster," Horner said. "He's committed, he's got a great attitude and, in the end, it was a very logical choice for us. "He's got all the attributes that are required to drive for our team: he's got a great natural ability and he's a good personality and a great guy to work with. "Daniel knows what the team expects from him. He'll learn quickly and it's very much a medium to long term view that we're taking in developing him. The seat within the team is a wonderful opportunity and I think he's going to be a big star of the future." Newey, meanwhile, compared Red Bull's decision to promote Ricciardo to the choice made at Williams in the mid-1990s when they opted to call up Damon Hill ahead of the vastly experienced Riccardo Patrese alongside Alain Prost. "I think it's good to bring young blood in and give promising drivers a chance," added the Red Bull technical boss. The expected announcement means that focus will now definitively turn to Raikkonen's plans, with the Finn now either set to stay at Lotus into a third season or even make a surprise return to Ferrari. The news also ends what had been the highly unlikely prospect of Ferrari's star asset Fernando Alonso defecting to Red Bull, the F1 rumour mill having been sent into overrdrive during the summer break after the Spaniard's manager spoke to Horner in Hungary.
