Daniel Ricciardo hailed as part of ‘perfect’ F1 lineup

Red Bull junior driver Fionn McLaughlin has hailed Daniel Ricciardo, amongst other huge motorsport names, in his ideal F1 lineup.

In a video challenge with BBC Northern Ireland, the up-and-coming racing driver was asked to name his ideal driver lineup based on the following characteristics: raw speed, best overtaker, winning mentality, tyre whisperer, best in the rain and most dominant.

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Former Red Bull star Ricciardo was named by McLaughlin as the best overtaker, who hailed his trademark late braking style of racing.

"Daniel Ricciardo- I thought he was the best in braking, I think he was one of the strongest of that," Red Bull's latest young talent declared.

The 17-year-old continued to build the rest of his dream lineup and included F1 greats, from Michael Schumacher’s winning mentality to the raw speed of fellow Red Bull star Max Verstappen.

"I think Max Verstappen, raw speed. For me, he’s just naturally talented in every motorsport he can do, so I think he’s got the raw speed," he added.

"Michael Schumacher, I heard stories after a race win or if anything went wrong he would just go straight to the gym and focus on the next race and focus on winning. I think he definitely had the winning mentality."

"It's weird because he’s gone now but Sergio Perez was one of the best at managing tyres, I think his strongest part was tyre management, so I’d say him.

"I’ll go Lewis [best in the rain] because he won by 55 seconds at Silverstone. Seb [Vettel] he was always my idol and he won four in a row, so I’d say Seb [as most dominant]," he concluded.

Who is Red Bull junior driver Fionn McLaughlin?

McLaughlin entered Red Bull’s junior ranks in 2024 and is currently fighting for the title in the domestic feeder series British F4 in 2025.

The 17-year-old hails from Northern Ireland and earned the chance to join Red Bull’s academy after a test shootout between other hopefuls at Jerez last year.

The youngster was selected by team chief and advisor Helmut Marko, whom McLaughlin praised as a ‘nice man’ after the Austrian helped him earn the opportunity to compete in F4 this season.

British F4 will feature on the F1 support bill at Silverstone in 2025 alongside F2 and F3. Although the race will be non-points paying, British F4's appearance at Silverstone will allow McLaughlin to compete on a global stage and in front of the biggest names in motorsport.

McLaughlin currently leads the British F4 drivers’ standings ahead of Martin Molnar, securing two race wins at Oulton Park and Snetterton in 2025.

British F4 boasts illustrious alumni including McLaren stars Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, alongside F2 talent Luke Browning and Alex Dunne, both of which will have competed in F1 machinery after the Austrian GP weekend.

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