Mario Andretti, F1’s world champion of 1978, has backed Red Bull’s decision to sign Daniel Ricciardo.<\/p>\n
Some, including the German newspapers Welt and Bild, have criticised the signing of young “nobody” Australian Ricciardo over a champion candidate like Kimi Raikkonen.<\/p>\n
But Andretti insisted: “I can understand the decision absolutely.<\/p>\n
“They have this training team, Toro Rosso, that has already created Sebastian Vettel.<\/p>\n
“So why would they have a training team if not for situations like this?” said the 73-year-old, referring to Mark Webber’s departure for Le Mans.<\/p>\n
“This is a great signal to all young racing drivers that there is a way without having a big name,” Andretti told Welt.<\/p>\n
And, anyway, some take serious issue with the description of 24-year-old Ricciardo as a “nobody”.<\/p>\n
“He is one of the most talented drivers,” said Colin Kolles, who was Ricciardo’s first F1 team boss at HRT.<\/p>\n
“His driving style is similar to the young Fernando Alonso and Ayrton Senna,” he added.<\/p>\n
However, even if Ricciardo does live up to that promise, it is unlikely he will be fully up to speed by the very first race of 2014 in Australia.<\/p>\n
Dr Helmut Marko has said the Australian will be given a grace period of “three to five races”, by which time he will be expected to get “at least enough points for the constructors’ championship”.<\/p>\n
Indeed, while Marko has revealed Ricciardo’s contract is for “at least three years”, Italy’s Autosprint said the deal would include an initial assessment at the mid-point of next season.<\/p>\n
One thing Ricciardo can bank on, however, is a pay rise.<\/p>\n
Andrew Heathcote, rich list editor at the Australian business magazine BRW, said the driver’s current $600,000 salary will rise to “about $2 million” now that he is at Red Bull.<\/p>\n
That is an awful lot cheaper than Raikkonen, but another factor may also have played against the laconic Finn.<\/p>\n
“A very important consideration is the new set of rules next year,” Marko told Austria’s Servus TV.<\/p>\n
“This requires a lot of work with the technology and in the simulator, for both drivers.\u00a0 This made a difference for Daniel,” he said, perhaps hinting that blase Raikkonen’s work ethic would not have been as good.<\/p>\n
Finally, Red Bull designer Adrian Newey played down the saga about Ricciardo’s wide hips, insisting the 24-year-old will fit in the 2014 car.<\/p>\n
“Actually it’s slightly easier now,” said the Briton, “as he is not as tall as Mark.”<\/p>\n
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