Daniel Ricciardo does what Mark Webber couldn’t: pass Vettel

SEBASTIAN Vettel was told to give way to Daniel Ricciardo in the Bahrain GP and complied. Something he wouldn’t do for Mark Webber.

HE’s been told before, but this time Sebastian Vettel listened. And all it took was a “pretty please”.

The four-time Formula One world champion was ordered to give way to his three-race-old Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo during Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix and complied — something he repeatedly refused to do in five years with Mark Webber.

Ricciardo started 13th on the grid and produced one of the night’s best drives to finish a career-best fourth behind winner Lewis Hamilton, his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg and Force India's Sergio Perez.

“That was a pimpin’ good time,” the 24-year-old wrote on Twitter post-race.

The Australian had qualified third-fastest but carried with him a 10-spot penalty for a pitstop error from last weekend’s round in Malaysia.

Stuck behind Vettel, Ricciardo knew something had to give. “We’re losing time like this. We’ve got to decide what to do,” he told pitwall over the radio. And they responded.

“Sebastian, let Daniel through, please. Daniel is quicker than you. Let him by, please.”

Last year in Malaysia, Vettel infamously ignored team orders to hold his position behind race leader Webber and instead overtook him to claim victory.

A similar situation arose at the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix when the pair crashed following a risky overtaking move by Vettel. They were distant memories on Sunday. Vettel finished sixth.

AAP