Breaking news
Formula 1
Ricciardo's hips too wide for 2014 Red Bull
Will Adrian Newey and the Red Bull engineers be able to fix the "hip" problem if indeed Ricciardo is signed officially by the team?
GMM
Edited: Aug 29, 2013, 4:54 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Aug.29 (GMM) Even before his 2014 seat has been announced, Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull career has hit a snag.
Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing Test Driver
Photo by: XPB Images
The German-language Speed Week, and Italy's authoritative Autosprint, report that the Australian has been at Milton-Keynes for a seat-fitting in the 2014-spec RB10.
Designer Adrian Newey is known for his tight-fitting cockpits, and the packaging is reportedly even more problematic for 2014 given the new turbo V6 and 'ERS' regulations.
And while Ricciardo is slightly shorter than his Australian compatriot Mark Webber, the European media reports reveal that his hips are slightly wider than Webber and world champion Sebastian Vettel's.
Formula One legend Niki Lauda sees another problem with Red Bull's apparent decision to sign Ricciardo.
"Out of the new generation, Ricciardo is the driver with the most potential," the Mercedes chairman said in an interview with Bild newspaper.
"But at the moment no one knows if that potential is really enough. So it's a risk," said Lauda.
Another F1 grandee considering taking a risk for 2014 is Ferrari. According to recent reports, talks with Nico Hulkenberg about replacing Felipe Massa are underway.
"Hulkenberg is not bad," said Lauda, "but I think he needs another year. And Ferrari doesn't have time to waste."
The great Austrian said that if he was in charge at Ferrari, he would sign Kimi Raikkonen.
"He would give the team a boost, just as Lewis Hamilton has done at Mercedes," said Lauda.
"At Ferrari, Luca di Montezemolo decides alone. Alonso would certainly not like it (Raikkonen as his teammate), but Ferrari does have a problem: if the car is not good, Alonso complains all day.
"If I was di Montezemolo, I would pick Kimi," he added.
Finally, Lauda said the fact Nico Rosberg has been able to keep up with Mercedes' new recruit Hamilton in 2013 was a surprise.
Asked if Hamilton's 2013 title bid has been a surprise, Lauda answered: "No, as I knew that he would give the team a boost.
"What has surprised me is that Nico has been at eye-level. Nico has had more bad luck, but as far as the speed, they're both the same," he added.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Whitmarsh: Raikkonen wants to leave Lotus
Next article Todt to face strong challenge from Mosley ally in FIA Presidential election
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
GMM
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 13, 2015
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Formula 1
Formula 1
Chinese GP
Apr 13, 2015
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Pirelli chief calls for radical F1 overhaul
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 5, 2015
Pirelli chief calls for radical F1 overhaul
More from
Mark Webber
Oscar Piastri splits from Mark Webber management
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
4 d
Oscar Piastri splits from Mark Webber management
Oscar Piastri shares how relationship with Mark Webber has evolved since F1 debut
Formula 1
Formula 1
Miami GP
6 mo
Oscar Piastri shares how relationship with Mark Webber has evolved since F1 debut
Mark Webber’s Oscar Piastri role change was inevitable, says David Coulthard
Formula 1
Formula 1
Saudi Arabian GP
6 mo
Mark Webber’s Oscar Piastri role change was inevitable, says David Coulthard
More from
Ferrari
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 d
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 d
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Latest news
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
1 h
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 h
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
4 h
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe