- Red Bull
Ricciardo unfazed by Vettel's recent dominance
Daniel Ricciardo believes his 2014 Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel is going from strength to strength, but insists he is not fazed about going up against the four-time champion next year.
Vettel secured his fourth title at the Indian Grand Prix this year and is currently on a run of eight consecutive wins. Ricciardo will replace Mark Webber next year, who has not won a race this year, but insists he is not fazed by Vettel's dominance at the team.
"It makes me more excited," he said. "If I can mix it up with him it makes me look better, so the more success he has is nice to see. At least I know I'm going to get the best Seb possible and I will know the truth if I'm as good as some people say I am and I think I am. That's going to be a nice assessment."
However, he admitted that Vettel's continued improvement is scary for some of his rivals.
"I think, as strong as Mark is, Seb's had the edge over the last couple of years, that's been evident. I think it's fair to say Mark has probably peaked in his career, whereas Seb it's still questionable, maybe he hasn't peaked yet. He's probably just getting stronger, which for a lot of drivers is probably a scary thing.
"I'm a couple of years younger than him so I guess I haven't peaked yet either. He's been very impressive and the more he wins the more confidence he's getting, so it sounds scary but it's probably getting easier for him."
Webber has had a mixed relationship with Red Bull over recent years, but Ricciardo said he is keen to join the team with an open mind and a blank slate.
"He [Webber] has been speaking to me in bits," he said. "I spoke to him a little bit and I told him, in the most respectful way possible, that I'm happy to go into it myself and try and work things out for myself. We're in different times of our career and I'm happy to go into it with an open mind. He basically said 'go out and have fun'. I've earned the seat so he said just keep doing what I'm doing, don't get overwhelmed by it all and kick some arse, basically."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
