“He has grown,” Daniel Ricciardo applauds Max Verstappen’s maturity ahead of the 2023 F1 season
Daniel Ricciardo made an interesting observation about Max Verstappen after the two of them were reunited at Red Bull.
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Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull racing go way back. The Aussie used to compete for the team until the 2018 season. During their time together, Daniel managed to win 7 F1 races including the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix. On the other hand, he also had a lot of disappointing moments which included the collision between him and Verstappen at Baku. However, times have changed and so have the people.
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen were a strong pairing at Red Bull. However, there was surely an intense rivalry between the two drivers on track. In 2018, the situation worsened and Daniel decided that it was time for a change. The Aussie driver went to driver for Renault for 2019 and 2020. Later on, Ricciardo switched teams again to driver for McLaren. However, both parties parted ways at the end of the 2022 season.
This led to Daniel Ricciardo coming back to Red Bull but as a reserve driver this time. The plus point being that he is united with Max Verstappen yet again. Over the years, the Aussie driver has gotten to experience Verstappen’s growth on a personal level. Daniel is looking forward to work with the Dutchman yet again as they both aim to retain both the F1 world championships for the team.
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Daniel Ricciardo is in awe of Max Verstappen
In an interview with Motorsport-Total, here is what the Aussie had to say. “It’s really nice to be back here, obviously with the team, but also with Max. I also think that in the few years I have not been with the team I have been able to see how he has grown, how he has matured. Certainly as a driver, but I think also as a person,” Daniel Ricciardo stated.
While Verstappen and Ricciardo were competitors on the racetrack, they were still very good friends on a personal level. The Aussie driver will be keen on doing some simulator work and working with the engineers in order to assist Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in their championship retention charge. It will be interesting yo see how the trio works together in 2023.
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Varad Joshi
(940 Articles Published)