Daniel Ricciardo is arguably the one driver in the paddock who gets along with everyone. Despite his rivalry with the reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, in 2018, Daniel has managed to stay friends with the Dutchman. That’s the aura of the man. He joined McLaren back in 2021 to drive alongside Lando Norris. The move might not have worked out for him, but their friendship blossomed during this time.

Whether it’s a skippy ball race at Silverstone or playing ball before the Singapore GP, the duo knows how to keep itself entertained. However, there were some rumors of a rift between the two, but Lando cleared the air.

He said, “Just because of being honest, some certain comments I have said regarding things Daniel has struggled with on this car. Those comments, people for some reason take it that I don’t like him, I am not friends with him and we don’t get along.”

Time and again, the two have been seen enjoying their time while doing challenges for McLaren. Daniel and Lando were spotted swapping racing on the track to play one of the most popular racing games in the world, Mario Kart.

Like in F1, Lando Norris completely owned his teammate and emerged as the clear-cut winner. Despite his defeat, Daniel won hearts with his brief mimicry of Chris Pratt, the Hollywood star featured in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Daniel, in Chris’ voice, teased Lando by saying, “It’s a me, Mario!

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While the two might have been pitted against each other in the racing game, they will have to work in tandem for McLaren to secure P4 in the championship.

McLaren prepares for a mammoth battle with arch-rivals Alpine

Alpine looked set to finish P4 in the constructor’s champion before the Singapore GP. But, everything changed after McLaren’s Double points finish and Alpine’s Double DNF at Marina Bay. That’s how quickly tables can turn in Formula 1.

Fernando Alonso believes it’s going to be tight at the end to the season. Speaking before the Japanese GP, he said, “I think there’s going to be some weekends that we can score a few more points than them. Some others, we will score less. I think Singapore was standing out because it was a big loss in points there. But I think it’s going to be very, very tight until Abu Dhabi.”

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Which team out of the two do you think will finish higher in the points table?