AUSTIN, Texas – Daniel Ricciardo has hailed his Australian countryman Mark Webber, after Webber announced just prior to last week’s FIA World Endurance Championship Six Hours of Fuji that he would retire at year’s end.
The two’s Formula 1 careers overlapped for only three seasons, from 2011 to 2013, before Ricciardo stepped up to Red Bull Racing in 2014 to replace Webber after he departed for the Porsche LMP1 program in the FIA WEC.
Webber, now 40, helped the 27-year-old Ricciardo throughout his career, and Ricciardo took the time to praise his countryman.
Not without adding his trademark sense of humor, first.
“Well, that Maaahhhk Webbaahhh,” Ricciardo said to lead it off.
“But yeah, it’s been an interesting career. Obviously, he’s had a pretty successful second period of his racing career post-F1. And I think he’s done well. So he was able to achieve that. He’s going to retire with a lot of happiness and comfort.”
Ricciardo said Webber was the Australian racing star his generation could relate to.
“For me, I think the impact he had growing up, obviously I knew of (Sir Jack) Brabham and (Alan) Jones and previous Australians before me, but Mark was the one I watched,” he explained. As a kid, I watched him growing up. And then, when he moved here (F1), the local racing community was talking about it.
“It was there in front of me when he was doing it and that sort of paved what seemed like an achievable path to follow.
“In the end, he was always nice to me. He was always there to call him, to give me advice. He understand the Red Bull system a little bit better. He was just a helping hand when I needed it.
“For us Aussies, it gave me a little bit of inspiration and motivation to move to Europe and follow what he was doing at the time.”
Ricciardo and Webber’s most memorable moment together this year was when Webber, who served as the podium interviewer at the Belgian Grand Prix, did Ricciardo’s now-signature “Shoey” at that race.
Nico Rosberg won with Ricciardo in second, but Webber succumbed to pressure in the moment and soaked up the taste of champagne out of a sweaty racing boot.
That’s dedication for you, mates.
