Verstappen delivers heartwarming Ricciardo tribute in team-mate admission

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has revealed the wise words one of his team-mates once gave to him, reflecting on the lessons he has learned from past driver duos.

The Dutchman is currently riding a high after securing his fourth consecutive F1 title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where current team-mate Sergio Perez finally brought home some much-needed points for Red Bull alongside Verstappen.

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Red Bull have endured a much tougher season so far than they have become accustomed to in recent years following Verstappen's domination of the sport in 2023.

Having already conceded their spot at the top of the constructors' standings earlier this season, Christian Horner's outfit are now scrambling for points in an attempt to close the gap to Ferrari and potentially McLaren.

The reigning champion's plight has been exacerbated by the Dutchman frequently having to single-handedly carry the team, with team-mate Perez often not securing points over race weekends.

Following a disappointing run of results however, things are looking up for both Red Bull and Perez, after this weekend's grand prix in Vegas saw Verstappen claim the drivers' title and his Mexican team-mate finally added to the team's points tally- even if it was thanks to just a singular point.

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Max Verstappen's P5 Vegas finish meaning he has become the 2024 F1 champion" src="https://sportsbase.io/images/gpfans/copy_620x348/d9d5462b74b6dca28426e320ead7d04ca0f058b2.jpg">

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen will not set their sights on boosting Red Bull's constructors' championship chances" src="https://sportsbase.io/images/gpfans/copy_620x348/aef1677998b4bf4fb75fc5a86ced606928ab1968.jpg">

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Fans go crazy over Verstappen's suspected Ricciardo inspiration

Ahead of Verstappen's glorious weekend, the Red Bull star appeared in a TikTok collaboration for video communications company 'Zoom', where the champion faced quick-fire questions.

Reflecting on stand-out moments from his career, the 27-year-old was asked, 'What is a memorable piece of advice a team-mate has given you?', with his answer prompting F1 fans to speculate that it was a tribute to former driver Daniel Ricciardo.

Initially struggling to land on an answer, the champion finally landed on: "Enjoy the ride."

"Of course, we're always very focused on performance and always wanting to be the best but at the same time, you know time goes by very quickly so it's also very important to enjoy what you're doing" Verstappen elaborated.

When posted by a fan to social media platform 'X', fellow Ricciardo lovers chimed in among the comments to suggest Verstappen was alluding to the Aussie star's famous catchphrase, "Enjoy the butterflies".

Having weaved in and out of the Red Bull family during his own F1 career, Ricciardo's catchphrase perfectly encapsulates his own attitude and journey within the sport and his untimely sacking from junior team RB earlier this season further proof that these stars may never know when the ride will end.

“what is a memorable piece of advice a teammate has given you?"

max: enjoy the ride

stoppp ? pic.twitter.com/zeIiAxgQEa

— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) November 22, 2024

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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