It isn’t easy to always control one’s emotions, especially when things go downhill. Max Verstappen experienced this in Budapest last week. The Dutchman made more headlines than the winner, Oscar Piastri. But these headlines weren’t for a good reason. After all, the reigning World Champion losing his temper is a piece of ‘juicy’ news, isn’t it? However, empathizing with Max, some F1 fans, experts, and drivers have flocked in to defend Max.

The unruly radio conversation between Max and GP Lambiase wasn’t something F1 hadn’t witnessed before. Previously, several drivers lost their calm and reacted similarly. But was Verstappen way past the limit? This is a debatable question. Because, according to Daniel Ricciardo, drivers’ emotions “aren’t always predictable.” And so, siding with his former teammate, Ricciardo is now defending Max Verstappen against the critics.

Daniel Ricciardo understands where Max Verstappen’s emotions were coming from

Daniel Ricciardo has been in Formula 1 for the last 13 years. He has seen many ups and downs in his career. So, has the ever-smiling ‘Honey Badger’ never lost his cool? Is that even possible, not? We’ve seen and heard an angry Daniel Ricciardo. We’ve witnessed an upset Honey Badger, and through his experiences, he can understand why Max Verstappen’s mind wasn’t in the right place in Budapest. Of course, if the strategies don’t work, how was Max to keep calm? Ricciardo stated: “I put myself in the same position. In some races, I’m extremely calm, while in others, I’m agitated and everything frustrates me. Our actions and emotions aren’t always predictable.“

The Aussie then gave an example to back his point: “I think Lambiase said something about the tires to Max at one point. He probably pushed immediately, and I think that came from frustration”, adding, “There might have been a build-up of frustration leading to a moment where he thought, ‘I don’t care anymore, I’m going to push and see what happens.’ It happens, though such conversations aren’t ideal.” Daniel disagrees with Verstappen’s behavior towards his engineer but acknowledges that frustration and outbursts are part of racing life.

Surprisingly, the team’s strategies frustrated not only Verstappen. Daniel Ricciardo was considerably upset, too. But on the contrary, the ‘Honey Badger’ did not choose to aggressive radio messages. Sharing his Hungarian GP 2024 experience, Ricciardo further solidified his stance on Max Verstappen’s critics. What was Budapest like for VCARB, precisely for Daniel Ricciardo?

Two sides of VCARB at Hungaroring – Yuki Tsunoda’s P9 and Daniel Ricciardo’s disappointing P12

Yuki Tsunoda outperformed Daniel Ricciardo once again, leaving the Aussie disappointed at the end of the 2024 Hungarian GP. Wasn’t he supposed to fight for his seat? But the continuous strategic wreck led to a disheartening P12. Hungaroring is indeed a tricky track with too many turns and a lack of straight lines. However, Ricciardo knows his way around it too. Unfortunately, his experience didn’t work out the way he’d expected.

Tagging the Hungarian GP as “one of the worst races,” Ricciardo wasn’t happy. The problem began in the 7th lap when the Aussie went for a pitstop. A strategy that did not pay off, as his tires should have allowed him to go much further. Running 9th, Daniel Ricciardo dropped ten places and got stuck behind a group of cars that were almost impossible to overtake. He realized catching up would be impossible at his first pit stop. In the post-race press conference, he explained that, despite having clean air and speed, they ended up back in traffic.

So, while Max Verstappen went overboard with his emotions during the race, Ricciardo suppressed them. Both individuals had a different take on reacting to their situations. And it is only natural for them to behave in the manner that they did. However, it is good to see the camaraderie prevalent in motorsport. Daniel Ricciardo hitting back on Verstappen’s critics shows that he relates to the sentiments the Dutchman spoke out loud.

Do you think Daniel Ricciardo took the right stand? Share your thoughts in the comments.