Ricciardo: Vettel will be back

Daniel Ricciardo has backed former team-mate Sebastian Vettel to break out of his current slump, potentially as soon as this weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Vettel has not won a race for over a year and endured an Italian GP to forget last time out as he finished outside of the points after a clumsy spin and collision with Lance Stroll while team-mate Charles Leclerc won to end a nine-year wait for a Scuderia triumph at Monza.

The four-time world champion's frustrations alongside a young, up-and-coming team-mate draw comparisons with his final season at Red Bull, when Ricciardo came into the line-up and beat the then-reigning champion.

Ricciardo said: "It is, at times, a similar position to maybe where he was in 2014, and I think he bounced back. At the second race in 2015 he won.

"He definitely has the ability to bounce back, and all it is going to take is one race.

"At least from the outside, it probably started in Canada with the controversy there. It could have been his first win of the year, and if that got done differently, that might have changed the whole outcome of these races. You never know.

"In the past, he's always been strong here in Singapore, so this could be the weekend for him where he turns it around. I think he's just one race away from turning it around.

"Obviously there are a lot of things to deal with in this sport, especially when you're at the top. It's not just talent any more. It's pressure, it's headspace, it's where you're at in your personal life and all of this, but you don't lose your talent.

"Can he still drive very fast? Absolutely. I think he's just waiting for that weekend to put it altogether and get himself back. It could very well happen this weekend."

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