Webber: No other choice for Red Bull and Ferrari but to enforce change

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Former Formula 1 driver Mark Webber believes that Ferrari and Red Bull both needed to shake things up if they hoped to make progress in 2019.

Ferrari has opted to release Kimi Raikkonen in favour of Charles Leclerc, who made his F1 début with Sauber 12 months ago. The 21-year-old Monagasgue will race alongside four-time Sebastian Vettel, while Raikkonen will move in the opposition direction to rejoin the team with which he made his bow in 2001.

There's also change at Webber's old team Red Bull, with Pierre Gasly replacing the departing Daniel Ricciardo as Max Verstappen's team mate. But it's the switch from Renault to Honda as engine providers that will be the squad's biggest shake-up.

Button sees 'big year' ahead for Vettel, and perhaps a tough decision

Webber told Speedweek that he was pleased to see both teams biting the bullet and making the changes they need.

"After the season they had in 2018, they had to change something," Webber said of Ferrari's shake-up. "There was a lot of pressure, and this is the result.

"This is a new opportunity for Seb," Webber predicted, although he added that he expected Leclerc to give the veteran a run for his money.

"He could give Seb a headache, especially in qualifying," he said. "But I think Seb is ready for that."

Webber said that Leclerc was "fast, intelligent, a real fighter' but admitted that the youngster still had a lot to learn about the sport after his rapid promotion to the front line.

"He will first have to gain experience working in a large team," said the Australian. "[It's] a great opportunity for Leclerc, but a big risk for Ferrari."

As for the changes at his old team, Webber says that finally breaking from Renault after a 12 year partnership would infuse Red Bull with a new spirit - although it might take some time to fully pull off.

"They had to change, they were ready," he insisted. "This will give them new energy.

Working with Red Bull's junior Toro Rosso squad in 2018, Honda used more new power units than any other manufacturer during the course of the 21-race season in an effort to accelerate their development program.

Failing to reach the required lifespan of the engines meant meant multiple grid penalties for Toro Rosso. That will have to change in 2019 if Red Bull is to be as competitive as it was with Renault.

"The biggest challenge for Honda is to get a motor to perform well over its entire life span," Webber conceded. "I think it's possible that they will be able to overtake the rest in qualifying.

"But their engines must now also be able to perform at the highest possible level in the races. And that takes time."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.