Daniel Ricciardo Names the Driver on Whom He Can Count in the Middle of the Night

Daniel Ricciardo Names the Driver on Whom He Can Count in the Middle of the Night

Daniel Ricciardo’s million-dollar smile and his affable personality have made in one of the most-liked drivers in the paddock. And while the Honey Badger shares a good relationship with every driver on the grid, he recently revealed a rival on track that he could actually count on, even in the middle of the night – as a friend.

When Ricciardo was asked to name a driver who he thought was the most likely to respond to a text message from him in the middle of the night, the Australian instantly replied (as quoted on X (formerly Twitter)), “Max [Verstappen] is a good replier. The reply rate with Max is pretty much 100%!”

During their time as teammates at Red Bull, the duo often shared an intense rivalry on track. While off the track they remained really good mates, when racing wheel-to-wheel things did sometimes spill over. Many experts suggest their infamous double-DNF at the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as the tipping point for Ricciardo to leave the team for Renault, at the end of that year.

Since then, however, the two have remained very good friends. Their bromance during their Red Bull days earned them the name ‘Maxiel‘ and the duo are seen as one of the closest friendships in the paddock to this day. When Ricciardo was announced to be returning to the Red Bull family with AlphaTauri (now V-CARB) last year, Verstappen had even said, “I never actually wanted him to leave!” as quoted by Formula1.com.

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Ricciardo’s second coming with Red Bull had been orchestrated last year as an audition for the #3 driver to replace Sergio Perez at the main team if they did not renew Perez’s contract that is due to end at the end of this season.

The Australian’s future with the Bulls is tied to his performances this season against his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda – who is also a likely candidate to replace Perez. However, as things stand, the Honey Badger has failed to impress in the first two races of the season.

What’s more, Ricciardo saw himself getting knocked out of Q1 during the 2024 Australian GP qualifying session on Saturday after his best lap time was deleted for track limits. Tsunoda on the other hand, made it to Q3 and will start tomorrow’s Grand Prix from 8th on the grid.

The chances of Ricciardo making it back to Red Bull look very slim as things stand. Sergio Perez has impressed in the last two outings and currently sits second in the Driver’s standings. That being said, if Ricciardo doesn’t pull his socks up soon, he might also be on the verge of losing his current seat with V-CARB to the likes of Liam Lawson.

Post Edited By: Aishwary Gaonkar
Daniel Ricciardo Max Verstappen Red Bull

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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