In 2014, Ricciardo moved from sister team Toro Rosso (now re-branded as AlphaTauri) to replace Webber at Red Bull. A four-year stint would come to an end in 2018 with a move to Renault, before eventually ending up at McLaren.
Ricciardo has endured a tumultuous time in the sport since his departure from Red Bull, and Webber has now revealed that he advised the 34-year-old against the move all those years ago.
Webber: I told Ricciardo to stay at Red Bull
“I was keen for him to stay in Red Bull,” Webber told ITV. “I think he knows that all those years ago I was trying to talk him into staying.
“But, obviously, he was keen to go to Renault at the time and then he went to McLaren. He’s had a year out and now he’s back. The stopwatch never lies, you’re either giving pressure or you’re taking pressure.
“So now he’s back on the grid and obviously, he’s got to step up against Yuki [Tsunoda] pretty quickly and hopefully he can perform well.”