This was published 7 years ago
Formula one: Mark Webber says Daniel Ricciardo has Max Verstappen's measure
By Mark Fogarty
Just-retired veteran Mark Webber believes fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo will have the measure of Formula One phenomenon Max Verstappen if they are in a position to fight for the world championship next year.
Webber, a former F1 front-runner, expects a major revamp of the technical rules will favour Red Bull Racing, allowing Ricciardo and Verstappen to challenge Mercedes' dominance and possibly claim a world title.
SPA, BELGIUM - AUGUST 28: Mark Webber drinks champagne from the boot of Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Red Bull Racing on the podium during the Formula One Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 28, 2016 in Spa, Belgium (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Credit: Mark Thompson
"I think next year both Daniel and Max will have a great chance to go for the championship," he declared.
Webber, 40, retired from racing last month after three years helping Porsche become the leading team in sports car endurance racing, going out on a high with a third place finish in the season-ending Six Hours of Bahrain.
He quit F1 after winning nine races in seven years with RBR, but has remained an active observer as a Red Bull ambassador and regular TV pundit with Britain's Channel 4 – roles he will continue in retirement next year. He will also stay with Porsche, with which he won the world endurance championship driver's title last year, as a special representative and consultant.
Looking ahead to next year, Webber is convinced Ricciardo will come out on top of a closely fought battle with Verstappen for superiority within RBR, countering the Dutch teenager's unbridled talent with his more matured ability.
"I think he's in great shape there," he said. "Daniel's a cool cat. I still think he has the bigger picture a bit better at the moment."
Verstappen has taken F1 by storm since being promoted from Red Bull's Toro Rosso junior team to partner Ricciardo, winning the Spanish Grand Prix in his RBR debut and continuing to star amid controversy over his aggressive driving.
But apart from his fortuitous victory after Hamilton and Rosberg took each other out on the opening lap, he has been out-performed by Ricciardo, whose string of podium placings – including a win in last month's Malaysian GP – have secured him third in the world championship behind the Mercedes pair.
Ricciardo is not quite as flashy, but his sheer speed is at least equal to his precocious teammate and his greater experience gives him the edge as an all-round racer.
Verstappen benefited from Red Bull's split-tyre strategy in the Spanish GP, which cost Ricciardo his shot at victory, while the smiling West Australian was robbed of a runaway win in the following Monaco GP by a strategic blunder by the team.
Webber pointed to his compatriot's domination over Verstappen at the tortuous Monaco street circuit as evidence of his capability.
"It was a bloodbath," he declared. "He ripped the field apart. It was straight sets against Max at Monaco."
While Webber acknowledges that Verstappen is an exciting new talent with the potential to be F1's next superstar, he has no doubt that Ricciardo will keep him at bay for at least another season, backing his compatriot to narrowly come out on top if they're title contenders in 2017.
"It's a fine line and, emotionally, if a championship car is in play there, then it's going to happen," he said. "There'll be another layer for Daniel to get used to and be on top of that, which he is more than capable of. He's in the right window."
Webber believes that Verstappen's meteoric rise has already pushed Ricciardo to new heights and that he will continue to rise to the challenge as his intra-team opponent improves with more experience.
"There's no real downside for Daniel," he said. "Does he want him in his life? It'd be nice if he were a bit slower, but Daniel will lift and that's what you do. He's capable of doing that.
"For Daniel's sake, we just have to hope Max doesn't mature as fast as what could be possible because he's obviously going to be pretty potent."
Webber drove for Red Bull Racing from 2007-13, scoring nine F1 victories despite racing in the shadow of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who was the team favourite.
He is confident RBR won't favour Verstappen over Ricciardo because they are both products of Red Bull's driver development program, unlike the bias he suffered as an outsider teammate to Vettel, who was also a protégé of the team's hard-nosed advisor Helmut Marko.
"Daniel's a Red Bull driver," he said. "We just have to see how neutral Helmut will be. But I don't think there's any reason why he won't be with those two."
Webber was replaced by Ricciardo when he switched to sports car endurance racing with Porsche in 2014.
Since then, Ricciardo has become F1's most popular personality, with his sunny disposition backed up by a warrior-like approach to racing.
He won three races in 2014, upstaging a winless Vettel, who defected to Ferrari the following year.
He was hamstrung by RBR engine supplier Renault's poor performance last year, but amid the hype surrounding Verstappen, an improved powerplant has enabled him to score regular podiums this season.
While Verstappen has grabbed the headlines with his daring and controversial driving, Ricciardo has been the best-performed driver behind Mercedes pacesetters Rosberg and Hamilton.
Webber is not surprised that Ricciardo has emerged as a potential F1 world champion, having witnessed his grit and talent when he had to battle his way past him during a Singapore GP night street race during his apprenticeship with Toro Rosso.
"We were out of position, coming back (through the field), and I followed him for about 10 laps and I thought 'yeah'," he recalled. "You just knew. He was in a bit of a shit box Toro Rosso and I was in my Red Bull, and I'm like 'yeah'.
"He made it hard for me (to lap him) and that was great. I wanted him to make it hard for me because that's what it's all about."
Webber is tipping Red Bull Racing to be restored as the team to beat next year because F1's new technical rules will return the emphasis to chassis performance over engines.
In 2017, the cars will be wider with bigger tyres, generating more cornering grip to be up to five seconds a lap quicker, playing to the strengths of RBR's design genius Adrian Newey.
Engine development restrictions will also be eased, allowing Renault – whose hybrid powertrains are rebadged as Tag-Heuer by RBR – to close the gap to Mercedes, whose benchmark unit is near the limit of its potential.
After sweeping the world title under the previous 2.4-litre normally aspirated V8 formula from 2010-13, Red Bull Racing has been struggling against the might of Mercedes since F1 switched to turbocharged 1.6-litre V6s with battery-powered electric assistance.
The British-based German team has won three straight driver and team world championships, and 51 of 59 races.