Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo has opened up on his relationship with title challenger and former Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen in trademark Ricciardo fashion.
Never far away from more banter or an outlandishly energetic remark, Ricciardo joked that until he retires from Formula 1 he’ll “always believe (he’s) the best”.
“I think the day I stop will be the day that I no longer believe I’m the best driver,” Ricciardo joked in an interview with RacingNews365.
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“Is Max the second best? Probably! Probably!”
Returning to a serious note, Ricciardo said if Verstappen wasn’t to win this year’s world championship the Red Bull superstar would clinch a maiden title down the track.
Verstappen is leading seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton by eight points ahead of the final two races of the season, to be held in Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Abu Dhabi on December 12.
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“If it’s not this year, I think it’s inevitable that he wins a world title. Not to say that it’s an easy thing to achieve, but I think he has all the traits to do it,” Ricciardo said.
“Also, his race craft is good; I like that he goes for gaps. I see a lot of similarities (with my driving) in the way he goes about racing, so that I can certainly respect.”
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Ricciardo raced with Red Bull between 2014 and 2018 and was Verstappen’s teammate over the final three years of his time at the England-based operation.
“As a person, I really like Max. For sure, it’s been probably easier to get on with each other post-teammates, because we don’t have that head-to-head, as you’d call it,” Ricciardo said.
“But I think also he’s matured, you know, so I like the way he goes about his business, as well. We are quite different, but I think he’s very true to his word. (There’s) not much bulls–t that goes on. I definitely like him and respect him for that.
“As a driver, look, I remember his very first practice session in Barcelona, when he got into Red Bull, and he was on it straight away. I remember seeing the data and I was like, ‘OK, he’s not messing around’.
“I think he has that speed, that raw speed, that lack of fear. Now he’s got that maturity to really make him a top, top, top-tier (driver).”
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Ricciardo has endured a rocky first season with McLaren, managing just 105 points to be sitting in eighth in the standings.
But the Western Australian broke through for his first win since 2018 when he took victory in Monza in September.