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For a young man who will step into the hottest of Formula 1 hot seats for the 2014 season, Daniel Ricciardo looked and sounded relieved on Thursday (Sept 5).
MONZA, Italy, - Although all signs pointed to Daniel Ricciardo to be Sebastian Vettel's new team mate, the current Toro Rosso driver was relieved to land the 2014 Red Bull seat.
The 24-year-old Australian faced a barrage of questions at the Italian Grand Prix as he faced the world's media for the first time since Red Bull announced he would partner championship leader Vettel next year.
NO SURPRISE
Vettel may have four titles by 2014 while Ricciardo, who replaces departing compatriot Mark Webber, has yet to appear on a F1 podium in his third season in the sport.
If he was feeling the heat, he hid it well. Ricciardo told a news conference at Monza: "I think it's a bit of a relief now that there's no more speculation and no more dodging questions and all the rest of it.
"Everyone knows what's happening, including me. It's nice. It's something to look forward to."
Ricciardo's appointment came as no surprise, with Red Bull trusting in the same supply chain that saw Vettel promoted from Toro Rosso at the end of 2008, but he said he was still not told until last week.
Team principal Christian Horner told reporters that Ricciardo was simply the best candidate "for the medium and the longer term."
He also indicated that anyone suspecting the new man would pose less of a challenge to Vettel than Webber, whose relationship with the German has been more than frosty, should reserve judgement.
CALCULATED RISK
Horner said: "Daniel really deserves a chance. He's a seriously quick driver, he's a young guy and behind that broad smile he's got a determination about him. There's no reason at all why he can't do a super job in 2014.
"He's an intelligent lad. He's demonstrated he's capable of winning championships in lower formulae, he's won races in all the categories he's been involved in bar F1 so far. It's a calculated risk that we've taken but he's got all the attributes of being a star of the future."
Horner said money had not been a factor in the driver decision and nor had the Australian won them over with his character.
"You can have the best character in the world, but if you're not quick it doesn't help," he said.
Vettel, still only 26 years old but with 31 career wins to his credit, would not be drawn on whether he expected to get on better with Ricciardo than Webber, who is 10 years older than him.
JUDGEMENT RESERVED
Vettel said: "Whatever I say makes the relationship I currently have with Mark sound bad. We (Vettel and Webber) are not best friends, yes...but equally we respect each other on the track as racing drivers. Ricciardo is a different guy. I don't know him that well yet. I don't want to marry him so I don't have to be best friends with him. But I think we'll get along with each other."
He also reserved judgement on his team mate's potential.
"It is difficult to say because at the moment he is not in a car that allows him to score points regularly and race in the area where we race," he said. "People probably have the opinion that drivers that are in let's say an average car and maybe somewhere in the midfield are generally not on the same level as the drivers at the front.
"I think on average that is probably the case, but how do you get to step up if you never get a chance? It's a great time for him," said the champion.
HIPS DON’T LIE
While there are smiles all round, Dr Helmut Marko has admitted Ricciardo will be a squeeze at the wheel of the 2014 Red Bull car.
Designer Adrian Newey is known for his tight-fitting cockpits and reports suggest that at a recent seat fitting, it emerged that team newcomer Ricciardo's hips are too wide for the RB10.
Red Bull's motor racing consultant Marko confirmed that the 24-year-old Australian will have to slim down.
Marko told Bild newspaper: "He doesn't really eat bacon anyway. But maybe he will have to do some special training to trim some muscle in certain places.”
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2013 Italian GP weekend.
MONZA, Italy, - Although all signs pointed to Daniel Ricciardo to be Sebastian Vettel's new team mate, the current Toro Rosso driver was relieved to land the 2014 Red Bull seat.
The 24-year-old Australian faced a barrage of questions at the Italian Grand Prix as he faced the world's media for the first time since Red Bull announced he would partner championship leader Vettel next year.
NO SURPRISE
Vettel may have four titles by 2014 while Ricciardo, who replaces departing compatriot Mark Webber, has yet to appear on a F1 podium in his third season in the sport.
If he was feeling the heat, he hid it well. Ricciardo told a news conference at Monza: "I think it's a bit of a relief now that there's no more speculation and no more dodging questions and all the rest of it.
"Everyone knows what's happening, including me. It's nice. It's something to look forward to."
Ricciardo's appointment came as no surprise, with Red Bull trusting in the same supply chain that saw Vettel promoted from Toro Rosso at the end of 2008, but he said he was still not told until last week.
Team principal Christian Horner told reporters that Ricciardo was simply the best candidate "for the medium and the longer term."
He also indicated that anyone suspecting the new man would pose less of a challenge to Vettel than Webber, whose relationship with the German has been more than frosty, should reserve judgement.
CALCULATED RISK
Horner said: "Daniel really deserves a chance. He's a seriously quick driver, he's a young guy and behind that broad smile he's got a determination about him. There's no reason at all why he can't do a super job in 2014.
"He's an intelligent lad. He's demonstrated he's capable of winning championships in lower formulae, he's won races in all the categories he's been involved in bar F1 so far. It's a calculated risk that we've taken but he's got all the attributes of being a star of the future."
Horner said money had not been a factor in the driver decision and nor had the Australian won them over with his character.
"You can have the best character in the world, but if you're not quick it doesn't help," he said.
Vettel, still only 26 years old but with 31 career wins to his credit, would not be drawn on whether he expected to get on better with Ricciardo than Webber, who is 10 years older than him.
JUDGEMENT RESERVED
Vettel said: "Whatever I say makes the relationship I currently have with Mark sound bad. We (Vettel and Webber) are not best friends, yes...but equally we respect each other on the track as racing drivers. Ricciardo is a different guy. I don't know him that well yet. I don't want to marry him so I don't have to be best friends with him. But I think we'll get along with each other."
He also reserved judgement on his team mate's potential.
"It is difficult to say because at the moment he is not in a car that allows him to score points regularly and race in the area where we race," he said. "People probably have the opinion that drivers that are in let's say an average car and maybe somewhere in the midfield are generally not on the same level as the drivers at the front.
"I think on average that is probably the case, but how do you get to step up if you never get a chance? It's a great time for him," said the champion.
HIPS DON’T LIE
While there are smiles all round, Dr Helmut Marko has admitted Ricciardo will be a squeeze at the wheel of the 2014 Red Bull car.
Designer Adrian Newey is known for his tight-fitting cockpits and reports suggest that at a recent seat fitting, it emerged that team newcomer Ricciardo's hips are too wide for the RB10.
Red Bull's motor racing consultant Marko confirmed that the 24-year-old Australian will have to slim down.
Marko told Bild newspaper: "He doesn't really eat bacon anyway. But maybe he will have to do some special training to trim some muscle in certain places.”
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2013 Italian GP weekend.