Vettel would welcome Ricciardo to Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel says he would welcome Daniel Ricciardo to Ferrari if he opts to leave Red Bull at the end of the year. The duo were team-mates for a single season in 2014, before Vettel departed for the Scuderia, having finished below Ricciardo in the standings.

Talk about the Australian's future has been a hot topic in the early months of 2018 as he shapes to be the most important player in the driver market this year.

While Red Bull are determined to keep hold of Ricciardo, he is reportedly keen to find the best race-winning seat available to him for 2019, with Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas also out of contract at Ferrari and Mercedes respectively.

Ricciardo may have the pick of F1's three leading teams and, though Vettel, has enjoyed largely unchallenged number-one status at the Scuderia over the past three years, he would back the arrival of a hungry Ricciardo to Maranello.

While sat next to Ricciardo, Vettel told a press conference: "I'm sure he'll find a seat.

"I don't know what he's up to or what he wants. I don't know how much he's asking but as I said... I'm confident he'll find a seat.

"We only shared one year together, I knew him before that and we had one year together which wasn't great for me, it was great for him.

"But I think we get along so I wouldn't mind if we get together again in the future but I think he has a couple of options and I don't think he needs to rush."

World champion Lewis Hamilton was also sat at the table, himself no stranger to making a big jump after leaving McLaren for Mercedes in 2013.

"I would just say that an important thing is just really to look at the history of drivers and things that drivers have said in the past and try not to alienate the team that you're in," Hamilton said.

"It's all good and well hoping at some stage to experience something new in another team but there's a lot of people in our teams and it's really important to keep them encouraged and focused on you as a driver, to help you achieve your goal.

"There are some drivers of recent years who have made bad decisions in upsetting and rocking the boat and that so yeah, he's in a great place still. Red Bull, I think, this year can really have a fighting chance to win the championship and the opinion of where you might want to go, if it's not where he currently is, may shift."

Having taken counsel from the two four-time world champions next to him, Ricciardo was happy with the advice on offer.

"Well said, well said by both," he replied with a trademark smile.

"I'm just going to put all those talks on hold for a while and yes, this is a year which... obviously our prep's been good and I really really hope that Lewis is right that we will have a chance to fight for a title and that will ultimately make me very happy.

"Then we will, as Seb said, take my time and then see what happens in... ask me in six months' time."