For the last few weeks, there has been a lot of speculation as to whether Daniel Ricciardo will replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull. Before the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was asked who he would prefer as his teammate. It’s safe to say that he was not too excited about the question. His reply was a bit more cautious as he did not want to choose one over the other.
“I always had a great relationship with Daniel when we were teammates and when of course, we weren’t.” Max Verstappen said. “But at the same time, I have a great relationship with Checo. So I find it a bit unfair to now sit here and say who I would prefer as a teammate or whatever. They have been great teammates, and it’s not up to me at the end of the day to make these kinds of decisions because I’m very focused on my own performance.”
🗣️ | 🇧🇷 Max on preferring Checo or Ricciardo as his teammate
“I always had a great relationship with Daniel when we were teammates and when of course, we weren’t. But at the same time I have a great relationship with Checo.”
“So I find it a bit unfair to now sit here and say… pic.twitter.com/j2zK7bF0TK
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) November 2, 2023
“If it’s Checo next year, then great. I have had a great working relationship with him, but also personally, I think he’s a great guy. And if it’s Daniel, then also we will get along fine, and we have a great time. F1 can be a tough sport. You’re asking these kind of questions, but yeah, maybe also nothing happens.”
Max Verstappen has spent some quality time with both of these drivers. Daniel Ricciardo drove alongside Max Verstappen from 2016 to 2018. During these 2 seasons, the 2 drivers had a whale of a time with each other. Sergio Perez joined the team in 2021. Since then, he has been seen having deep conversations with Max Verstappen after races. There is no doubt that Max respects both of these drivers.
Why the return of Daniel Ricciardo could taunt Max Verstappen
Back when Daniel Ricciardo drove for Red Bull, he was considered to be one of the most talented drivers in the sport. He was commonly referred to as the last of the late brakers. He had this ability where he could brake much later than the rest of the drivers while attempting an overtake.
However, after leaving Red Bull, his pace fell off. When he joined McLaren in 2021, he was nowhere close to the pace of his teammate. After just 2 seasons with McLaren, he went back to Red Bull as a reserve driver. Halfway through the 2023 season, he replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. With the Faenza-based team, he seems to be finding himself again. For the last race in Mexico, he qualified P4 ahead of Sergio Perez.
Just @Max33Verstappen arriving on the scene to hear the very important and serious journalistic questions…
What would cause @danielricciardo to “trip major nutsack” this weekend? 😭#MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/fs005gLSz1
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2023
While Max Verstappen is dominating the sport at the moment, Daniel Ricciardo could have something to say if he goes to Red Bull next season. Ricciardo is by far the only driver who has been able to beat Max Verstappen in the same car. However, Max Verstappen has improved a lot since 2018.
When Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull, Max had not yet won a Championship. He had only 5 race wins to his name. Today, Max Verstappen is a 3-time Champion who has 51 Grand Prix wins to his name as of the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix. So the question has to be asked. Will Daniel Ricciardo be able to match or beat Max Verstappen’s pace in Red Bull? Post your answers in the comment section below.