“He Pushed Daniel Ricciardo So Hard”: Christian Horner Marks the Day Max Verstappen Changed F1’s Course

It only takes a moment to change the course of history and that’s exactly what Daniil Kvyat did when he kissed Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari twice in two corners back in the 2016 Russian GP. This mistake from the Russian made the Red Bull bosses demote him to Toro Rosso and replace him with 18-year-old Max Verstappen. Verstappen got his first race as a Red Bull driver at the 2016 Spanish GP weekend and as we all know, the rest is history.

Celebrating that very history, Red Bull posted a video on their YouTube channel celebrating ‘Max Verstappen’s Journey To Becoming a Three-Time F1 Champion’. In the video, we hear accounts of many Red Bull, past and present, entities reminiscing the Dutchman’s first race in the RB12. This is when Horner recalled how the 18-year-old gave Daniel Ricciardo hell, who was his teammate at the time.

How Max Verstappen pushed Daniel Ricciardo to the limit from the get-go at Red Bull

Ricciardo was already a three-time race winner when a young Verstappen unpacked his bags in the adjacent garage. However, that did not stop the Dutchman from pushing the Australian to the limit right from his first race with the Austrian team. Verstappen qualified behind Ricciardo and both Mercedes in P4. However, thanks to an opening lap collision between the Mercedes men, it was Ricciardo ahead of Verstappen in the race.

This is when Verstappen saw his opportunity to get his first race win in his second year in the circus and he grabbed it with both hands. Recalling this incident, team boss Christian Horner expressed how Verstappen pushed the Australian to the limit throughout the race before making history and changing the course of F1.

Horner said, “He pushed Daniel Ricciardo so hard that weekend and in the end, qualified a couple of tenths behind him I think fourth on the grid, and then went on to win. That has gone down in Formula 1 history now on his debut for the team. An incredible win.”

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What an incredible achievement by the Dutchman who has now gotten a knack for breaking records, but he started when he was 18. Ever wonder what made him the way he is? Well, simply put, his father, but let us elaborate.

One advice that Max Verstappen still sticks by

Verstappen has been faultless in the 2023 season, except perhaps one incident at Silverstone. His superior racing prowess can be credited to a lot of factors, but we can never discount his father’s contribution to his career. We are all aware of Jos Verstappen’s influence and unorthodox parenting, which made Max who he is today.

However, despite all the harsh lessons, the three-time world champion still respects and appreciates his father. Among the many lessons and words of wisdom imparted to the Dutchman by his father, the one he still remembers clear as day is something Jos Verstappen said 8 years ago.

The Red Bull man recently revealed this two-word advice that has been like a pillar in his career. He revealed, “The best advice I’ve ever [been] given was I think from my dad. Just, you know, ‘be yourself’ and also, you know, when you get successful you have to ‘stay yourself’ like you were the first year. I think that’s really important. Yeah, ‘just be yourself,’ you know, don’t worry, don’t stress.”

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Simple, clear, crisp, and effective! Many demonize Jos Verstappen’s parenting, but it clearly has done wonders for Max and, as we can clearly see, he still respects the lessons his father taught him.