Berlin - Sebastian Vettel would have to change his mindset significantly if he ends up moving to a smaller team in Formula One, fellow driver Daniel Ricciardo said on Saturday.
Vettel, who won four world titles at Red Bull, is not having his contract at Ferrari renewed at the end of the season after a disappointing few years.
His options seem limited but he has held talks with Racing Point, which will be rebranded as Aston Martin next year with backing from billionaire Lawrence Stroll. Racing Point has never won a grand prix and neither did previous incarnation Force India.
"For Seb, in his situation he has had pretty much his whole career in the sport running at the front," Ricciardo, who left the glitz of Red Bull for Renault for 2019, was quoted as saying by the F1 website.
"I would say that probably every year he has contested in F1 he has been on the podium, if not won. If it is the case that he goes into a midfield team, it is foreign territory for him. It requires a bit more of an open mind, and some patience."
Germany's Vettel has also said he will leave F1 if need be.
"If he still has the will and drive to compete at the top level, then I hundred per cent think he should continue in the sport," Ricciardo added.
"But if it is in the midfield it is normally a longer play. You have to show commitment not just for another 12 months but two or three years."
Ricciardo is leaving Renault after two seasons for McLaren next year.
dpa