Formula 1 Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo said yesterday he has no fear of any animosity poisoning his working relationship with Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull this season
Daniel Ricciardo. Pic/Getty Images
Melbourne: Australian Daniel Ricciardo said yesterday he has no fear of any animosity poisoning his working relationship with Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull this season.
Daniel Ricciardo. Pic/Getty Images
Ricciardo, 24, who replaced retired compatriot Mark Webber on the team this year, faces a challenging task with the four-time world champion.
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The Australian, already under the pressure of expectation at his home season-opening Grand Prix at Albert Park on Sunday, will be pitted against Vettel with much the same technical backup as the German.
Vettel and Webber clashed several times, stemming from a number of high profile incidents on the track, notably during the 2011 title battle and when Vettel disobeyed orders so he could snatch victory from his teammate at last year's Malaysian Grand Prix.
Job on hand
"I still have a job to do and still have Seb alongside me, which is going to be a big challenge no matter what position we're fighting for," Ricciardo said. "I still have a bit on my plate.
I don't fear any animosity (with Vettel). "They're asking me how I'm going to go against Seb and obviously I have faith and confidence that I will go well against him. But until I do it on an even playing field, I don't really know."