Davidson: Vettel handled Red Bull struggles impeccably
Former F1 driver Anthony Davidson believes Sebastian Vettel handled his final year with Red Bull 'impeccably', adding that he 'thoroughly deserved' his win in the Malaysian Grand Prix with Ferrari.
The German moved just one victory shy of equalling Ayrton Senna's F1 victory record by claiming a surprise success at the Malaysian Grand Prix in only his second race with Ferrari.
After clinching four world titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, a difficult season in 2014 premeditated a switch to Ferrari over the winter, a move that is quickly reaping rewards as his former team endures a difficult beginning to the year.
Indeed, former Super Aguri F1 driver and World Endurance Champion Davidson feels Vettel's reaction to last year's difficulties means he deserves his renewed success.
"Seb is settling in really well," he told Crash.net. "It is nice to see him winning in a different team and I think he has handled the whole situation perfectly. Since last year, doing what he did without a manager, not saying the wrong things when he could have and deserved to, the way he handled the whole situation is impeccable. He really thoroughly deserved that win."
Reflecting on Red Bull's troubled beginning to the 2015 season, Davidson believes Daniel Ricciardo must now use the tougher times as an opportunity to establish his 'greatness'
"Ricciardo looked like he was having a tough time in Malaysia, he looked a bit flustered and frustrated. It will be important for him to remain calm, like Seb did last year. That is when you see someone's greatness when you watch them go through the hard times, not just the good times.
"He looked like he was getting really agitated with what was happening around him, but he is a great driver and given the right equipment he is definitely going to win more races and he is ready to win a championship.
"It is fundamentally the same team Seb was winning with a couple of years ago and they were doing great things but it shows how a twist of regulations and a bit of fortune can really mix things up and how it can make the mighty fall. It is still a team that knows how to win but it doesn't have the product at the moment. If they find a winning formula again, then they are certainly a force to be reckoned with."
