Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen share one of the most famous friendships on the F1 grid. Having been teammates at Red Bull, the duo is famous for the ‘Maxiel’ bromance, which has a fan following of its own. However, when asked by Perth Now which F1 driver Ricciardo would want to take on a road trip around Western Australia, the 34-year-old snubbed his Dutch friend in favor of his former McLaren teammate, Lando Norris.
The chemistry shared by Verstappen and Ricciardo is unparalleled in the F1 grid. Even when they were both part of different teams, the duo would always be on the same wavelength, be it walking in on each other’s interviews or when the F1 drivers had a Secret Santa event. Fans love to see the two interact with each other as it always gives way to something funny.
Daniel Ricciardo snubs Max Verstappen for Lando Norris
Ricciardo recently launched a new tourism campaign to boost tourist attractions in his home state of Australia. Speaking to Perth Now‘s Josh Zimmerman, the AlphaTauri driver revealed what he thought was the best tourist spot in all of Western Australia (WA).
Furthermore, he answered which F1 driver he would like to take on a road trip through WA and why.
“It’s risky saying someone who hasn’t been a teammate because I guess I don’t know them too well. So I’d probably have to go with someone that’s been a teammate… even someone like Lando. We were teammates for two years. I think the first year was very different to the second year.”
The first year of the Ricciardo-Norris partnership at McLaren was far from ideal. Having come to the team as the big-name driver, Ricciardo saw himself outperformed by Lando Norris on various occasions. Before the Monaco Grand Prix that year, Norris earned himself a contract extension owing to his performances and claimed that it wasn’t his job to make Ricciardo feel better about himself. This gave way to the team calling a meeting between the seniors and the two drivers, where heated discussions continued.
The duo would often stand at crossroads for the better part of the season, but once the ice melted between the two, there was no going back.
Norris cleared the air over his relationship with Ricciardo
After learning about Ricciardo’s imminent departure from the team, Lando Norris addressed his relationship with the Australian and claimed he hated it when people would assume there was something wrong between the two. Recalling the ‘sympathy’ statement, Norris said it was probably because of those words that people thought all was not well between him and Ricciardo. However, he clarified he was just being honest about his feelings but it, in no way, represented a sour relationship between the two.
Omfg I’m dead 😂😂
Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo racing on space hoppers. WAIT UNTIL THE END!! #F1 #Silverstone pic.twitter.com/aEfK5aJJFF
— Lukealele (@lukealeleGames) June 30, 2022
Furthermore, Norris revealed he and Ricciardo shared a good friendship despite their age gap and varying interests. The Briton added he would want to be more like his former teammate in one particular aspect.
Ricciardo has a knack for being one person when driving the car and then being a completely new person when out of it. Norris appreciates this approach and hopes to be able to adopt the same soon.
