Daniel Ricciardo REVEALS mindset of being Max Verstappen's F1 Red Bull team-mate

Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo REVEALS mindset of being Max Verstappen's F1 team-mate

The Australian has opened up on what it's like partnering world champion Max

Lauren Sneath

Sunday 7 May 2023 09:57

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Daniel Ricciardo has opened up on his mindset back when he was Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate in F1 as the pair fought hard for race wins.

Ricciardo, now a reserve driver at Red Bull, was Verstappen’s team-mate from 2016 to 2018, before he chose to leave the team for Renault for the 2019 season.

While they drove together, Ricciardo and Verstappen had an intense rivalry which led to frustration for both drivers on several occasions.

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Looking back at those years, Ricciardo told ESPN about what goes on in your head when you fight for race wins against your team-mate.

He said: "I mean it's a good problem to have, let's start with that, you know – it's better to be fighting them for wins than fighting for 10th place.

"I think it's hard to think about that because you're so caught up in it, you're like, ‘I just want to beat that guy and that's it.’

"But yeah you have to also get a bit of perspective, like, ‘OK, yeah, it's a good a good position we're in.’

"Obviously your team-mate a lot of the time is your biggest rival, but you also have to understand that it's not just you two, there's a whole team behind you that like a lot of people put a lot into it."

Baku 2018: the infamous crash

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen collide in Baku in 2018

Ricciardo also spoke of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2018, when he and Verstappen fought hard during the race.

Their intense competitiveness culminated in a crash, and both had to retire from the race.

Speaking about the incident, he said: “I look back at say myself and Max in Baku in 2018, and yeah, I just think a few years removed from that we would handle it differently.

“It’s maturity, you know, as well, you understand a little bit more and it's not just about us.

“But also the sport is intense and these things can happen, so I'm not saying these things will never ever happen again through the history of the sport.”

With his trademark laugh, he added: “It's also exciting, like the fact that that's still talked about five years later like, all right!

“For me and him, it wasn't cool that day and the b*****king we got afterwards, but yeah, whatever, it makes the sport what it is.”