After winning his three world championship titles with the Red Bull F1 team, Max Verstappen has looked back on his journey. Speaking about the teammates that he has had over the years, the Dutchman reminisced about the time that he spent with Daniel Ricciardo. The 26-year-old also shed light on the importance of having a good relationship between them.
In a video released by the Red Bull F1 team on their official YouTube channel, Verstappen said, “I think it’s always nice if teammates get on really well, and it helps the team as well.” Cut back to an old video from 2016 where Verstappen and Ricciardo interview each other “on the sofa,” the young Dutchman called the Australian a “Lovely, Caring and Beautiful teammate.”
Later in the video, Verstappen added that he has great memories with Ricciardo. “I think we pushed each other to the limit.” The current three-time world champion also pointed out that he was very young at the time, and their relationship has grown ever since.
“It’s great to have Daniel back on the grid within the family. I never actually wanted him to leave.”
Max Verstappen on Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 return pic.twitter.com/g3Gtw38zhP
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 20, 2023
Verstappen and Ricciardo spent three seasons together in Red Bull from 2016 to 2018. The rivalry between the two got intense at times, leading to several controversies, one of which is also said to have led to the 34-year-old Australian leaving the team.
Daniel Ricciardo might once again become Max Verstappen’s teammate
Daniel Ricciardo’s exit from McLaren after two years in 2022 was an unprecedented turn of events. In another shocking announcement a few months after, the Honey Badger returned to the Red Bull team as their reserve driver. On the same path, he found his way back to the racing seat as he replaced Nyck De Vries in AlphaTauri.
Ricciardo’s yet another unprecedented move left the bosses impressed when he took the AlphaTauri car out on the track for the first time in eight months. Even though he could not hold on to his seat consistently, thanks to a terrible wrist injury, his performance triggered speculations about a potential move to a Red Bull seat in 2024.
Another factor that triggered the speculation was Sergio Perez’s poor performance in comparison to Max Verstappen. Furthermore, when Ricciardo joined the Milton Keynes outfit, he clarified that his goal was to get to the full-time Red Bull seat.
