Daniel Ricciardo Reveals His Biggest F1 Competitor is not Vettel or Verstappen

Back in 2019, Top Gear released a video featuring Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo in an informal conversation as he took the interviewer for a drive. The Aussie was behind the wheel of a Renault Clio V6, and he opened up on a number of subjects, including his biggest rivals.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that it was Sebastian Vettel or Max Verstappen, but Ricciardo had another name in mind. As it turns out, the mystery rival was none other than Finnish Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. Apparently, their rivalry stretched as far back as the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season when the two competed against each other.

Bottas eventually went on to win that championship, with Daniel Ricciardo missing out by just three points. The Finn registered 5 wins compared to Ricciardo’s 6, but Bottas was a bit more consistent. The only other familiar names were former Toro Rosso driver and defending Formula E champion, Jean-Eric Vergne, and ex Manor Marussia driver, Roberto Merhi. Vergne finished 6th while Merhi was in an impressive 4th with two wins under his belt.

Coming back to Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas, the two eventually reached Formula One, though Ricciardo debuted first, in 2011 for the erstwhile HRT team. Meanwhile, Bottas’ debut found him in a better slot, with the Williams F1 team in 2012, back when they were still a decent team.

As their F1 careers progressed, their talent was rewarded with a seat at Red Bull in 2014 and Mercedes in 2017. It wasn’t long before they both took the top step of the podium on a couple of occasions. Unfortunately for Daniel Ricciardo, he seemed to have opted for a downgrade when he joined the Renault team in 2019.

In 2018, Bottas was in a far worse position, having undergone a massive slump, but has pulled up his socks and improved dramatically in 2019.