Daniel Ricciardo Took His Pick Between Iconic F1 Bromances With Max Verstappen & Lando Norris: “I’ve Had More…”

With a happy-go-lucky nature, Daniel Ricciardo has made good friends with almost every teammate he has had in F1. The most iconic of those relationships he shared was with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. But which among the two did he pick when asked who was a better driver?

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen raced as teammates for Red Bull for three years. The duo shared many iconic moments together- some joyful, some not so much. Daniel then moved on to Renault and then McLaren, where he joined Lando Norris. They both share a common trait- a fantastic sense of humor. We got many hilarious moments where we saw them share a hearty laugh at some great jokes.

However, when it came to picking a better driver, Ricciardo chose Max. Mind you, this was in his first year with the Woking-based team and he had only raced twice with Lando by then. Speaking with EFTMOnline, Daniel said, “I mean I have to say Max but it’s probably just based off I’ve had more experience with him. But I mean judging by like the last weekend [in Italy where Norris secured a P3 finish], Lando certainly raced race really well.”

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Max Verstappen was still relatively new to F1 when he raced with Daniel as a teammate. The Dutchman learned a lot from the Honey Badger and improved a lot. In fact, even his father Jos Verstappen could not help but laud the Australian’s positive influence on his son’s driving.

Jos Verstappen hails Daniel Ricciardo for his influence on Max’s driving

Jos Verstappen influenced Max’s career in a huge manner. Being a former F1 driver, he acted as the inspiration for his son to take up the sport. Growing up, ever since his karting days, Jos corrected Max’s shortcomings, often in not-so-conventional ways. But that did not stop Verstappen Sr from praising his son’s former teammate.

Speaking with Formula 1 magazine, Jos said, “[I] find it very difficult to say. I do think maybe he learnt the most from Daniel Ricciardo, a nice peer he got on very well with. Max was a young guy then and Ricciardo really good, a qualifying beast.”

Ricciardo did not have the best of his time at McLaren. In both seasons, he finished behind his teammate on points and struggled to adapt to the car. Talking about his situation, Jos continued, “I also think the car suited him well then (at Red Bull) and that’s a bit Ricciardo’s problem now. The car doesn’t suit him so well. There are things that don’t suit Ricciardo so well and that’s why it’s not coming out.”

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Ricciardo is currently on a self-induced 1-year hiatus from regular action in F1. He is back with his old team Red Bull, partnering with his old mate Max as a third driver.