(Video) Daniel Ricciardo responds to Max Verstappen’s rebellious media approach

Max Verstappen missed out on a great opportunity to win the Saudi Arabian GP after he was penalized for a Lap-1 incident. The Dutchman asserted that the penalty was unwarranted and decided to remain quiet about the situation. Verstappen kept his media appearances short and did not speak much on the matter to avoid facing additional repercussions for criticizing the FIA. The 27-year-old’s great friend Daniel Ricciardo shared his thoughts on the matter.

Max Verstappen clarified his actions after the race and claimed that the FIA had become too sensitive to driver complaints. The 27-year-old had also pointed out that people would twist his words on social media and create a completely different and negative narrative of his comments. As such, Verstappen did not comment on the incident and looked up to the upcoming race in Miami.

Daniel Ricciardo, in a recent podcast appearance, put forth his point of view and sided with his old mate. The Aussie reckoned that Verstappen was genuine to himself and did not fake his nature. The four-time champion was who he was and that is one of his likable characteristics. Ricciardo pointed out that if the Dutchman wished not to talk to the media, he would do exactly that and not change his mind so easily.

Moreover, Ricciardo revealed that Verstappen refused multiple things to the Netflix crew recording content for the Docuseries Drive to Survive. As such, the 35-year-old reiterated that the Dutchman had his own way of dealing with things and stuck to it without much change. The Aussie emphasized that many people admired the four-time champion’s attitude of ‘you get what you see’.

Daniel Ricciardo accepts Max Verstappen ‘not the most approachable’

Daniel Ricciardo has known Max Verstappen for a very long time, especially as the two were teammates from mid-2016 to 2018. Hence, Ricciardo is also aware of a majority of the Dutchman’s quirks that people not have a particular liking towards. Verstappen is known to have a no-nonsense attitude and to bluntly speak out the truth which many feel is too harsh to handle.

Ricciardo accepted that Verstappen might not be the most approachable person on the F1 grid. Moreover, the Dutchman might not even be the funniest, according to the 35-year-old, but that was what made him unique. The Aussie pointed out that the 27-year-old was also a hard racer, which many people seemed to like about him. The honey badger further reckoned that he held a lot of respect for the reigning world champion and knew him on a deeper level after being paired up with him in the past.

Verstappen has raced in Formula 1 for almost a decade now and has remained the same in his attitude. The Dutchman is straightforward and is not afraid to speak his mind. However, the FIA’s recent crackdown on drivers criticizing the sport might witness a different version of him. Regardless, the 27-year-old is likely to focus on his performances and finding improvements. Time will tell about how the governing body copes with the four-time champion being unhappy with their ways of governing the sport.

Also Read: Should Mercedes sign Max Verstappen? F1 team boss responds

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