Lewis Hamilton has urged Daniel Ricciardo not to be afraid to attack Sebastian Vettel from the very first race as he did in his first race for McLaren.
Ricciardo will become Vettel’s team-mate next season after gaining promotion from Toro Rosso. Whilst Hamilton admitted surprise at the decision, he believes it was the right one.
“It was a surprise to me when it was announced,” Hamilton told TotalRace, adding: “but as they have a team just for the young guys to gain experience, it is good to see that it is working.”
Comparing his own career to the Australian’s – though Ricciardo has two seasons experience already – Hamilton urged the 24-year-old to push hard from the first corner as he did when he overtook team-mate and double-world champion Fernando Alonso in 2007.
“When Ron [Dennis] told me I would be much slower than Fernando, I thought ‘He’s wrong’. Attacking from the first race was one of the best things I could have done in F1.”
Understandably, Hamilton is hoping Ricciardo can challenge Vettel.
“He will come in with a good car, in a seat that many others would like to have – not me, because I already have a good car,” he added.
“So I’m cheering for him and hoping that he can handle the pressure – because it is always very high when a young guy comes into a top team. But I’m sure he will do well.”
