In 2019, when Daniel Ricciardo appeared in a video on Nico Rosberg’s YouTube channel, the memories of his infamous crash with Max Verstappen at Baku 2018 were perhaps still fresh. It was a difficult moment for both Red Bull drivers, resulting in a double DNF, which flared up an already simmering intra-team rivalry. That is why Ricciardo was taken aback when Rosberg blamed him.
“So Azerbaijan, you’re racing Max and you’re at fault primarily. I’m not sure if that was the conclusion, but that’s my opinion anyway,” the 2016 champion said.
To this, Ricciardo asked, “Your opinion is I took him out?” Rosberg replied, “My opinion is you were more at fault. Is that not the conclusion?”
At this point, Ricciardo burst into laughter and joked, “Alright, this podcast is finished.” Rosberg, however, reiterated, “Anyways, this was my opinion. More percentage [of blame] on your side. And [it was a] long time ago, not important” — not what Ricciardo would have liked to hear.
New footage from the Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo crash at the 2018 Azerbaijan GP. #F1 pic.twitter.com/OCWAaWy9Jv
— The Best Pinned Tweet (@MrHemJ) May 12, 2023
Ricciardo, who had left Red Bull for Renault by then, admitted it was a tough incident to deal with. He recalled feeling bad for the team as the crash spoiled their entire weekend. Ricciardo was fighting with Verstappen for P4 on lap 41, and had both of them held positions for a few more laps, Red Bull would have left Azerbaijan with 22 points at least. Instead, the number was 0.
Rosberg has had his fair share of intra-team battles, owing to his bitter rivalry with Lewis Hamilton. The two World Champions once took each other out of a race—Spain 2016—after which Mercedes boss Toto Wolff made them pay for the damages themselves.
While Ricciardo admitted he did not have to do that, they did buy presents for the team to make up for upsetting them. Nonetheless, Ricciardo felt that Red Bull should have managed the situation between him and Verstappen better.
Did Baku crash trigger Ricciardo’s Red Bull exit?
Ricciardo, who joined Red Bull in 2014, called it quits on his stint at the Milton-Keynes-based team at the end of the 2018 season. One of the possible reasons cited for his exit was the growing tension with Verstappen. The two drivers often raced wheel-to-wheel, and as fierce competitors, neither would concede position. Red Bull’s refusal to issue team orders only added to the strain.
Another major reason that triggered the honey badger’s departure was the team switching to Honda engines in 2019. Ricciardo had reservations about the move and decided to jump ship.
In hindsight, Ricciardo does not believe it was a wise decision. He initially moved to Renault before joining McLaren two years later. However, a failed stint in Woking led him back to Red Bull’s sister team, before he recently lost his place in F1 altogether.
Speaking with Sky Sports after the recently concluded Singapore GP, he said, “I can certainly look back on it and say, ‘okay’… I think at the time obviously in my head everything made sense, but was it the best decision of my career? Of course, you could argue, ‘No it wasn’t’.”
