06/05/2014
NEWS STORY
In a move that will hardly endear him to his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo has said that drivers must appreciate team orders and respect them.
In successive races, world champion Sebastian Vettel has been asked to move aside for his new Australian teammate who is clearly more in touch with the 2014 Red Bull. In China frustration got the better of the German. Having been told to move aside for Ricciardo the German queried the call, when told that the Australian was on fresher rubber the response was "tough luck", though he did move aside shortly after.
As team orders look certain to be an issue this season, and not only for Red Bull but (in time) for Mercedes and others, Ricciardo says it is a team decision and it is up to the driver to accept it.
"We throw up different scenarios and discuss it, he told the West Australian newspaper. "We discuss it between drivers and between principals and engineers. It is our responsibility to obey it, unless i is completely out of order and then we can obviously try and put up a fight and give our reasons.
"The team are doing all the calculations on the pit wall during the race and you have to respect what they're saying," he added. "It's not always nice if you are being told to move over. It's not nice being that slower car, it's frustrating."
Referring to the in-team battle with Vettel, Ricciardo is aware that as the German becomes more comfortable with the RB10 and thereby more competitive the stakes will be raised. However, he insists that both drivers are totally professional and will not risk doing anything silly.
"We know it ourselves and even told each other that we want to race hard," he said. "I want to race the best version of Seb and he wants to race the best version of me. At the end of the day I think we'll both respect whoever's done a better job.
"Deep, deep down none of us like losing. If Seb's done a better job this year, I won't like it, but I'll definitely respect him for it and give him the credit he deserves. I think that's a two-way street. We understand what a fair fight is and we enjoy that."
Chris Balfe