Helmut Marko preparing Daniel Ricciardo for a possible race seat at Red Bull by 2013 – Formula 1
Red Bull Racing team’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has recently stated that he is keen to bring Daniel Ricciardo at the team by the 2013 season and that he is ‘preparing’ him for this shift until then.
“Mark Webber will stay with us for another year, and then he will decide what to do in his career. Red Bull will decide who takes his place, although it is likely it will be Ricciardo,” said Marko.
Keeping in mind that the team principal Christian Horner has already stated that Mark Webber’s future at the team until the end of 2012 is secure and that the team or even Webber have not thought about this yet, Marko still claims that Ricciardo has a shot
of making it into the team in 2013.
Horner on the other hand claims that there is no reason why Webber would not continue with RBR even after 2012.
“I don't see any obstacles that will prevent that and I don't see any dramas associated with it. I expect him to be here next year,” said Horner.
However, the team principal has stated that the team is trying to take one step at a time and that they have not thought about the future yet.
Ricciardo on the other hand is taking things quite seriously.
“I hope there is a chance to race with them, but first I need to beat my team-mate [Vitantonio] Liuzzi, who is a few tenths ahead of me,” he said.
Webber has been performing really well for the team and one has to admit that there are many drivers that are better and more experienced than Ricciardo at the moment. Lewis Hamilton has been linked with RBR as well and drivers like Kamui Kobayashi, Jenson
Button or even Adrian Sutil have more experience than Ricciardo.
Naming him as the final pick for a championship winning team keeping in mind that he has competed in only three races in his Formula 1 season is a long shot.
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