Head To Head Sebastian Vettel vs Daniel Ricciardo

[Brogan]

I don't think anyone thought Ricciardo would be quite this good, and I think the list of champions tells us Vettel is not ordinary.

As I understand it, many people think that having the best car and a second rate team mate are the main reasons for most, if not all, of Vettel's success.

 

[teabagyokel]

While there is no doubt that Vettel had a second rate team-mate tending to third-rate as the last few years progressed, I think the extent to which the Red Bulls of 2011, 2012 and the first half of 2013 were the best car was down to who was driving them.

The 2011 Red Bull, in particular, wasn't as far ahead of McLaren as Vettel made it seem.

 

[Brogan]

It's a long season, so it may just be taking Vettel longer to adapt to the new style of driving.

It's going to be an interesting intra-team battle, nonetheless.

 

[Bill Boddy]

But shouldn't the GOAT be able to handle change as one of his attributes?

 

[teabagyokel]

He's not quite finished after 3 races and 1 qualifying session...

 

[Road of Bones]

You would have expected Seb to get on top of the new cars & PUs rather more quickly than he appears to have done thus far, certainly. It does seem to indicate just how well-suited he was to the EBD cars and the peaky V8s though.
I don't think Webber was third-rate- on his day he was pretty much unbeatable, but he had far fewer of those days than his teammate.
I admit to being rather impressed with Ricciardo so far this season, and hope he continues outperforming Vettel to this extent.

 

[Il_leone]

I don't think people expected Ricciardo to show Vettel this early a clean pair of wheels this early. It looks like the EBD influenced car was a serious significant factor in Vettel's dominance

I don't think Vettel has helped himself with the apparent way he has dealt with the troubled testing and some of the remarks he has come out regarding the new regulations

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Maybe Seb's not performing to the best of his ability at the moment? All drivers have 'off' periods.

 

[Brogan]

Maybe Ricciardo did a pre-season visit to the Pirelli and Renault factories and therefore is in a better position due to everything he learned while there?

<\removes tongue from cheek>

 

[Lewywo4]

I admit to being rather impressed with Ricciardo so far this season, and hope he continues outperforming Vettel to this extent.

Daniel is impressive no doubt about that, and I just hope that there is competition between Vettel and Ricciardo, similar to what we see now between Lewis and Nico.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Is this now Dans team? Seb told DIFTY twice now. Changed days.

Qually Dan 3 Seb 1
Race Dan 3 Seb 1

 

[Bill Boddy]

Well Vettel seems to think that he owns the team, frequently refusing to comply with a direct order only works if you are the boss.

 

[Il_leone]

oh dear two races in a row Vettel has been asked to move over now.. first flashpoint in the new teammates rivalry
- are you expecting protection Seb when Daniel is potentially there to succeed you ?

The dynamics has to be different to Webber vs Vettel when Mark was clearly an outsider and Helmut wanted to prove his young driver development programme works

They aint going to hold Daniel back because they may want him to be the team leader and to carry on as a team

The silly season in F1 has already started - Luca Di Montezemolo are you interested now ?

 

[Quintessentially]

A lot of questions being asked of Vettel here but winning 4 championships in a row is obviously no easy feat. Contrary to the suggestions, he doesn't seem ruffled by Ricciardo's performances to me and Rosberg looks more unsettled. He has this nonchalant attitude which you have to admire. Case in point - radio message when he was told to give way to Ricciardo and he asked what tyres he was on followed by "tough luck". How much of his dominance over the past 4years was down to him and how much was down to the car is what is starting to emerge.

 

[Josh]

Maybe Seb's not performing to the best of his ability at the moment? All drivers have 'off' periods.

No, that's not possible, unless it's 2011 and you're driving a McLaren.

 

[Kewee]

Vettel's selfishness probably cost Red Bull a podium in China. I'm not complaining, I'm an Alonso fan, but with only 3.5 secs separating Alonso and Ricciardo at the end, if Vettel had let Ricciardo through when he was asked Ricciardo probably would have been able to take the podium off Alonso. It's too early to say yet, but the belief of some drivers and fans that Vettel needs a car advantage to give his best may prove to be true. Both Hamilton and Alonso have proven to be able to wring the neck of a poor car achieving very good results, the same doesn't seem to apply to Vettel, not yet at least, we will know by the end of the season. It's worth pointing out that in Ricciardo's hands the Red Bull is proving to be a very good car.

 

[Titch]

Well I will say what I see. At the moment Ricciardo is outpacing his team mate.

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Talk from RBR that SV probably cost DR about one second ...

I think Alonso was foxing a little and saving tyres today ... not sure that DR could have got to him even with SV playing like a good little Schumacher #2 ...

It is good to see SV getting challenged day in day out ... will see if he is made of chocolate or stone ...

 

[Kewee]

Talk from RBR that SV probably cost DR about one second ...

Red Bull would say that wouldn't they. To suggest Vettel possibly cost the team a podium casts a bit of a shadow over their golden boy doesn't it. He doesn't really need any help in tarnishing his own reputation. Just in case you think I'm anti Vettel, I'm not. I've said on numerous occasions last season, Vettel is a fine driver, whether I'll still believe that at the end of this season I'm far from sure. There is no doubt he's selfish and arrogant, so are some of his competitors, though he sometimes lets that affect the safety of other drivers. He damn near squeezed Rosberg into the pit wall a couple of GP's back at Malaysia.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

We also know that Vettel often enjoyed a car advantage over Webber, hugely at the end of last year with his exclusive traction control, yet Webber would still regularly beat Vettel at "driver's circuits". (Monaco, Silverstone, etc.)