Ricciardo admits he 'overdrove' due to Verstappen

Daniel Ricciardo has admitted that he 'overdrove' on the track due to the pressure he was put under by his well-performing team-mate, Max Verstappen, who insists he has outdriven his Australian team-mate even though Ricciardo has emerged on top in the rankings.

Ricciardo's current contract with Red Bull expires at the end of the season, and there has been speculation that he could jump ship to another team if they come calling.

He admits that, due to the emergence of Verstappen as a credible threat, he tried a bit too hard to defeat his team-mate.

"I would say it's pushed me more than anything," Ricciardo told Motorsport.com.

"Sometimes, like in Budapest, there were a couple of races where I overdrove.

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"I felt it was there and I tried to get too much out of it. But then that's on me. I should know what the limit is and what I need to do to put the lap together.

"Sometimes I have tried a bit too hard."

Verstappen has provided his opinion on the rivalry between the team-mates, and thinks that he has got the better of Ricciardo - despite the latter coming out on top in the driver rankings last year. He also believes that experience in F1 has made him a better driver rather than the performance of the Australian.

"So far I have always been able to beat my teammate," Verstappen said.

"It may not show in the point standings, but in general I've always been ahead.

"I have always focused on myself and on improving myself.

"I never really looked at other drivers because, of course, you can look at what they are doing, but in the end you are still a different person, so you always need to focus on yourself and on what you can do better.

"I just drove the best laps that I could. And if it turned out to be faster than him, then that's fine, of course. I personally think that it's because I gained more experience that it was just a bit more difficult for him to get close to me."