Driver profile: Daniel Ricciardo

In his first full season in Formula 1, Daniel Ricciardo did enough to suggest he could be a serious candidate for a Red Bull seat when Mark Webber hangs up his helmet.

The absolute highlight was a quite sensational sixth place on the grid in Bahrain, a performance that had then technical director Giorgio Ascanelli comparing him with Sebastian Vettel. It was a shame it was wasted almost immediately with a terrible first lap.

Ricciardo's stats and facts

  • Team: Toro Rosso
  • Team-mate: Jean-Eric Vergne
  • Born: 01/07/89, Perth
  • Nationality: Australian
  • Grand prix debut: British GP 2011

Ascanelli did say, though, that once Vettel had unlocked his speed he never looked back. The same can't quite be said of Ricciardo yet, but he certainly had a strong season, following up Bahrain with a series of notable qualifying and race performances.

He was actually outscored by team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne but there is little doubt that Ricciardo was the more convincing performer in 2012.