Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo has analyzed Max Verstappen’s character transformation after the Dutchman continues to dominate F1. The 25-year-old won his fourth consecutive race in Canada this past weekend to extend his championship lead at the top. With Verstappen already having won two championships, he is edging ever close to winning his third this year.
As the Dutchman continues to achieve more and more success, several F1 fans have often criticized him for being arrogant and rude. Even though a significant number of fans view Verstappen as a villain, Ricciardo recently explained why the perception most people have about the 25-year-old is wrong.
“He has remained very much himself“: Daniel Ricciardo on Max Verstappen
While speaking on The Grandstand podcast, Daniel Ricciardo explained the perception he has of Max Verstappen. “Yes, he has won couple of world championships now and he is on his way to his third. But what you see with Max is what you get. He has remained very much himself through all of this,” explained the Australian.
“with max, what you see is what you get. i think, he’s remained very much himself through all of this […]. […] he’s very much just a normal guy. he’s matured, but otherwise stayed very much the same and that’s a compliment”
indeed🥹💙 pic.twitter.com/CtzBe8z4BR
— conni (@VERCAPLESS) June 19, 2023
Ricciardo then went on to praise Verstappen further by stating that the Dutchman continues to stay “true to himself” despite all the success he has had recently. The 33-year-old then concluded his remarks by adding that Verstappen is “just a normal guy” and has “matured” significantly.
Ricciardo and Verstappen know each other quite well as the two were teammates at Red Bull between the 2016 and the 2018 seasons, following which the Australian decided to leave the team for Renault. And ever since Ricciardo left, the two drivers have had contrasting careers.
Verstappen is a double world champion while Ricciardo is without a seat
Even though many considered and continue to consider Daniel Ricciardo as one of the most talented drivers on the F1 grid, the 33-year-old has struggled to showcase his true potential ever since he left Red Bull after the 2018 season.
Although the Australian did have two decent seasons with Renault in 2019 and 2020, his time at McLaren in 2021 and 2022 was a sheer disaster. Ricciardo struggled massively, as in both seasons his inexperienced teammate, Lando Norris, defeated him.
Ricciardo‘s last season with McLaren was so poor that the team even decided to part ways with him. It is this reason why he finds himself without a race seat this season.
In stark contrast, Max Verstappen has been moving from strength to strength. The year after Ricciardo left, Verstappen improved his championship standing from fourth to third in 2019.
And since then, the Dutchman has not finished below third in the championship. After finishing third for two consecutive seasons, Verstappen went on to win his maiden championship in 2021 before defending his title last season.
And considering that the 25-year-old has already built a staggering 69-point gap over his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, he could very well win his third consecutive title this season.
