“If It Can’t be me…”: Max Verstappen’s First Rival, Daniel Ricciardo Makes Honest Confession About Red Bull Golden Boy

McLaren’s Ricciardo has some really nice things to say about the Dutch Lion despite their brewing rivalry in the past. Daniel Ricciardo thinks of Max fondly as they shared some pretty heated times as well as moments of genuine respect for each other as they’ve grown in their careers simultaneously. “When I think of teammates, I definitely think of Max”, he said.

Daniel Ricciardo gets candid as he talks about Max Verstappen‘s performance. He goes on to point out his mistakes from the early races in 2018. He also doesn’t shy away from stating that 2018 maybe the year where Max made “the biggest transition from like young boy into man.”

Furthermore, he added, “To see him now go on and do what he’s done, I’m like if its not..If it can’t be me then I’m glad its him. At least I feel like I put up a fight to him and it makes me look okay”

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The two share a dynamic relationship with an exchange of teachable moments that they publicly talk about. Likewise, Max Verstappen had some thoughts about Daniel Ricciardo’s relationship with Mclaren.

Max claims Mclaren is not the right fit for Daniel Ricciardo

Having stemmed out of challenges they posed for each other, Max wants to see Daniel stay on the grid as he talked about Daniel’s time with McLaren coming to an end. Max believes that Ricciardo’s driving style was never compatible with the team’s car and so they didn’t compliment each other very well. Although this may seem like bad news, Verstappen believes this may be good for him after all.

Talking about the Australian, Max said, “Daniel is a great driver. We had a really good time when we were together.”

“He was a really nice guy to work with as well. Yes, he has had his difficulties at McLaren. The car just didn’t really suit his driving style, but yeah, I hope he can continue because I think he still has a lot left in him to perform.” 

Delving into the contract that was to end a year later, Max believes that sometimes it’s better to acknowledge that you need something new or rather different.

“I think it’s for both sides, for the team and for himself, so this might actually be good for him”, he concluded.

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There are talks about Daniel Ricciardo finding his way to Alpine or potentially getting a seat with Haas or Williams. Guess we’d have to sit back and wait.