“In a way, I guess it lowers a bit of attention or expectation (Red Bull’s
problems),” said Ricciardo, on a rooftop overlooking Albert Park. “But at
the same time, it doesn’t really change my approach.
“I’m not going to walk on the grid and Sunday and just (think) ‘yeah,
whatever, it’s just another race’.
“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. I still have
a bit on my plate.”
Ricciardo’s predecessor enjoyed a notoriously fractious relationship with
four-time champion Vettel, with a number of public arguments over racing
collisions, and the particularly thorny issue of team orders.
So far at least, however, Ricciardo and Vettel appear to be getting on well,
probably because the pair have not raced on track, let alone for the lead.
Asked how he thinks the pair will take to each other, the Australian joked:
“Probably a lot of candlelight dinners, lobster on the beach.”
On a more serious note, he added: “I don’t fear any animosity. 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 – not much
can be answered yet.”
Red Bull appear to be some way behind the rest of the field as the paddock
prepares for the season-opener in Melbourne. Team boss Christian Horner even
said earlier this week that he predicts the Mercedes cars could beat the
entire field by two laps.
Ricciardo said on Wednesday he was cautious but hopeful the team could mark a
dramatic reversal in their fortunes on Sunday.
“I’m sure we made progress, but until we get on track on Friday, we’re not
going to know how much ground we’ve made on competitors,” he said.
Their problems are largely due to Renault, as well as the team, grappling to
understand the vastly more complicated engines for 2014, which should
produce a very different kind of racing come lights out on Sunday.
It is a formula which Ferrari’s president, Luca Di Montezemolo, fears might
make for “taxi-cab” racing, due to fuel and tyre conservation concerns.
Although taxi drivers are not renowned for their cautious driving, Di
Montezemolo warned the first few races would be too hard to follow.
“I don’t like this sort of taxi-cab driving,” he said. “What I don’t
like is this complexity in the interpretation of the race, both from the
drivers’ and the spectators’ point of view.”