Nine-time grand prix winner Mark Webber has praised fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo as the most reliable driver on the current Formula 1 grid.
Webber called time on his F1 career at the end of 2013 and Ricciardo was chosen to replace him at Red Bull Racing for the 2014 season.
Ricciardo has won four times during his three and a half seasons with the team despite never possessing the fastest car.
The 28-year-old sits fourth in the drivers’ championship, with eight top-five finishes from 11 races.
“Daniel is just so solid on Sunday afternoons, he’s the most reliable driver in F1 in that you know what he’s going to deliver week-in, week-out,” he said in a mid-season review piece for Red Bull.
“He’s always got the most out of what they’ve given him and it’s hard to see how he could have done much more.”
Webber criticised Ricciardo’s team-mate Max Verstappen for ‘going off the road a lot’ during Friday and Saturday’s sessions.
“Both of the [Red Bull] guys have driven well this year, but Max has probably been a bit flaky in terms of the build-up to the races through the weekend,” added Webber.
“He’s been going off the road a lot on Friday and Saturday, which puts pressure on mechanics getting the car ready.
“I’d like to see him on the road a bit more, but he’s pushing the limits.
“When it comes to Sundays, he hasn’t made many mistakes at all, it’s been a lot of high-profile reliability retirements where he’s lost a truckload of points, so that’s been hard for him to swallow.”
Webber concluded that he believes Fernando Alonso is still the ‘best in the world’ on race day.
“It’s been a big shame for Formula 1, a big shame for Honda, a big shame for McLaren,” he said.
“They loaded their guns up and got Fernando back there waiting for the engine to fire, but it hasn’t happened.
“He’s been biting his tongue for the last 24 months, and he can’t drive the thing any harder. His stock is still incredible, and on Sundays, he’s probably the best in the world.
“That’s the frustrating bit.”
