From the Spanish Grand Prix in 2016 through the 2018 season, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen were teammates at Red Bull. Ricciardo was then on to a change, after which he switched to Renault and then to the British team of McLaren. Even now that his former Red Bull team has a championship-worthy car, he says he has no regrets about his switch.
“No, I have to say that I don’t have that when I look back at it like that”, he kicks off in an exclusive conversation with RacingNews365. “Even if I had stayed (after 2018, ed.), I don’t think I would have driven there this season. Now everyone can see that Red Bull can win the title this season, but I am not convinced that I had stayed longer than two years.”
This does not mean that the Australian was not satisfied with the Austrian stable. “I just don’t really know if I would have grown any more at Red Bull. Everything was so familiar to me.” The idea of seeking a new milieu continued to grow, even though options were limited among the top teams. The departure of his race engineer, Simon Rennie, was also one of the decisive reasons for a switch.
“In the end, there were a number of factors that made me feel miserable (by staying, ed.). I would like to emphasize here that from my heart I would be intensely happy if Red Bull left its mark on this championship. Again, I don’t think I would have driven there this season, but I do know a lot more people at Red Bull than at Mercedes. So of course I’m cheering for them!”
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Max has always had the speed, that special feeling
– Daniel Ricciardo
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Highs and lows at McLaren
At Renault and at McLaren it was not immediately possible to achieve success. Every now and then Ricciardo was able to take the podium, with the icing on the cake being his victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. The victory is for the Honey Badger extra special because he did not owe the victory to ‘luck’. “It feels great because you’re really just the underdog. There were of course some incidents, for example with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, but we still had track position against them.”
“I was able to keep Max behind me in the first stint, so I think I would have succeeded in the second stint.” However, a second stint did not come to the Dutchman: the former teammate of Ricciardo crashed with title rival Hamilton. “But we won on a level playing field while we were the underdog. That made it extra special. I was a real winner, not lucky.”
However, Ricciardo has to admit that leaving Red Bull has not yet paid off. “Of course I made that choice myself, and that was after 2018.” The win over Monza also reminded him of his strong bond with his old team. “I immediately received messages from Helmut Marko and Dietrich Mateschitz. There is still so much respect between us. I owe my successes for the most part to Red Bull, wherever I end my career. It therefore does me very good that they are so happy.”
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Ricciardo sees a worthy world champion in Verstappen
As Verstappen and Hamilton battle the 2021 title battle, Ricciardo watches from midfield. According to the Australian, it was only a matter of time before his ex-team-mate could compete for the world title. “I remember that during the first free practice for Red Bull in Barcelona he was immediately busy looking at the data. I immediately thought: he is not joking here.”
“He’s always had the speed, that special feeling. And now he’s got the maturity too. That makes him a serious title contender. Whether it’s this year or not, I think it’s inevitable that Verstappen will become world champion. I say definitely not that it’s easy to achieve, but he has what it takes to do it.”
However, the praise for the Limburger does not mean that Ricciardo thinks he is better. “No, I see a lot of similarities in how he races, but I still believe I’m the best. I keep believing that and if one day I don’t believe that anymore, that’s the day I’m not on the grid anymore stand.” Where Verstappen stands in his view: “He is the second best, I think”, he concludes with a broad grin.
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What can Verstappen do during the new Saudi Arabian GP? Will we get another dominant performance from Lewis Hamilton? And how is Red Bull vs. Mercedes further? This and much more in the RacingNews365 F1 podcast, with Tom Coronel, Ruud Dimmers and host Joris Mosterdijk.
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