Long before the dilemma of who Red Bull’s second driver alongside Max Verstappen would be, there was a solid option in Daniel Ricciardo at the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s disposal. When Verstappen made his way to the team, Ricciardo was his teammate and together, they formed a formidable partnership and developed a rather healthy rivalry.
To date, no teammate has pushed Verstappen as much as Ricciardo did. In fact, in their three seasons as teammates (2016-2018) Ricciardo beat Verstappen twice in the overall standings.
In 2019, however, Ricciardo left Red Bull because he was in search of a new challenge at a team that would treat him as their number one driver. Since then, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez have tried their hand at living up to the standards set by the Honey Badger and they have all failed.
The pivotal moment in Baku
Ricciardo and Verstappen collide in dramatic fashion
Recording a second double-DNF for Red Bull in three races#AzerbaijanGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/OMwH9Ct9BV
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 29, 2018
Perez, Verstappen’s most recent teammate started well, and early signs promised that he would be a long-term asset to Red Bull, at least as a second-driver. Sadly, his dismal 2024 campaign led to a sacking and Liam Lawson was soon announced as the Dutchman’s new teammate.
“Definitely Daniel Ricciardo,” Verstappen said to Blick when asked about who his strongest teammate at Red Bull was. “I was able to learn the most from him. I’ve absorbed a lot and incorporated it into my experience.”
It wasn’t all seamless of course, since there were moments when tensions flared up, making it difficult for Red Bull to handle the partnership. For instance, their competitive nature forced a race-ending collision for both in Azerbaijan in 2018. Perhaps that’s what propelled Ricciardo to pull the plug on his time at the Austrian squad.
Ricciardo’s attempts to make a comeback
Ricciardo first went to Renault, then McLaren. But both moves turned out to be rather underwhelming with the Woking-based squad literally taking a toll on his self-belief.
After losing out on his F1 seat in 2023, Ricciardo had to spend a few months on the sidelines before being roped in by Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri — now RB — and being tested as a potential replacement to Perez, who by that point, had began showing cracks.
Unfortunately, the Aussie would never regain the form that made him one of the best drivers during his first stint with Red Bull. After the 2024 Singapore GP, RB announced that Ricciardo would be replaced by Lawson for the rest of the season, presenting an opportunity to the Kiwi driver to get into Red Bull.
