Max Verstappen has had a history with his teammates throughout his career in F1, as he has outperformed each one of them. The only competition he ever faced was from Daniel Ricciardo when the Australian was teammates with Verstappen from 2016 to 2018. Despite the duo having intense battles between the duo spilling over, Ricciardo revealed the one thing that he admired the most about Verstappen, in the latest episode of the Talking Bulls podcast.
In his first full season in Red Bull, Verstappen was outperformed by Ricciardo by 200 to 168 points. Since then, no teammate has been able to come anywhere near the Dutchman. This makes it quite evident how much Verstappen was challenged by Ricciardo.
Verstappen 💥 Ricciardo
Red Bull’s 2018 Baku outing ended in disaster #AzerbaijanGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/esU6ZtVBi5
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 25, 2023
Even though the duo shared quite a close relationship with each other, things would often spill over on track as they battled hard against each other. The iconic crash in Baku during the 2018 season was a clear example of how hot things got between the two. However, as it turns out, Ricciardo considers Verstappen as a really close friend.
Daniel Ricciardo reflects on his relationship with Max Verstappen
Daniel Ricciardo appeared on the Talking Bulls podcast where he spoke about his relationship with Max Verstappen. Ricciardo explained that they had a very good time together when they were teammates, but things have gotten even better between them recently.
“after the success max‘ had particularly in the last few years, his kind of unchanged personality, mindset whatever like he hasn’t really been affected by the success”
he‘s still the same boy who just wants to race and win🥺💙 pic.twitter.com/MHOEc9kGId
— conni (@VERCAPLESS) September 5, 2023
Ricciardo then went on to comment that his admiration for Verstappen is not just due to the immaculate racing skills of the reigning World champion but much more. As per the former McLaren driver, Verstappen has changed despite the immense success that he has enjoyed recently.
“I admire Max for let’s say always I think his approach to racing, but also after the success he’s had particularly in the last few years, his kind of unchanged personality, mindset whatever, like he hasn’t been affected by the success,” said Ricciardo.
A possible Singapore GP comeback for Ricciardo written off by Horner
Ricciardo’s grand F1 comeback was cut short due to a hand injury that he sustained during one of the Free Practise sessions at the Dutch GP. With Liam Lawson currently standing in for Ricciardo, Christian Horner had revealed that the Honey Badger is aiming for a return at the Singapore GP.
However, as per the latest update from Horner, Ricciardo will most likely have to sit out for not just the Singapore GP but also the Japanese GP. Horner revealed that even though the recovery process is going smoothly for Ricciardo, they do not want to rush his comeback because it might just do even more damage to him.
