A couple of years ago, whilst he was still racing for Renault, Daniel Ricciardo raved about the legendary Sebastian Vettel. Before Vettel decided to depart from the F1 world, the drivers had consistently praised the well-deserved German for showing them the ropes.

Daniel Ricciardo was no different. In an interview with Will Buxton, when asked how his former teammate at Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel has influenced him, Ricciardo expressed his utmost respect for the German. He highlighted the things he adored about him as a driver and a person.

He said, “You know, really the thing that I took from that year(2014) with Seb, was, even through a difficult year for his standards you know, particularly coming off four [titles] in a row. He was always, on track, very competitive and I guess ruthless.”

“But off track you know, he (Sebastian) shook my hands and congratulated me and it seemed not only was he a good sportsman to me, but it seemed very honest and genuine.”

“He did it away from the cameras as well. I obviously respected him from the start. He does things relatively differently and he’s such a super-star in our sport,” he concluded.

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Fast forward to today, Ricciardo is still on very good terms with Seb and he recently shared that the two get on the phone to talk.

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The Honey Badger shared that the former teammates still touch base. Ricciardo claimed that Vettel has always been a person to call during tough years and check on his friend, Ricciardo, for that’s the kind of person he is.

In a recent interview with Speedcafe.com, Ricciardo said, “He’s picked up the phone multiple times this year and just been a friend and just showing care and just checking in as a true friend will do. To have friends like that is so important, but it’s also not that common in terms of on the grid.”

Admiring his friendship with Vettel, Ricciardo concluded, “Some gestures he made this year, and some of the kindness he showed towards me was, in a way, unexpected but just super.”

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The world of F1 sure is all about competition, speed, and dominance. And yet, somehow, people like Vettel come along, and friendships like such, go down in history.