Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen had been Purple Bull team-mates for a time, and in addition labored collectively within the latter phases of the Aussie’s F1 profession when he drove for sister squad Racing Bulls
Daniel Ricciardo has declared his satisfaction in what Max Verstappen has completed over his 200 races as a Formulation 1 driver. The Dutchman burst onto the scene a decade in the past as a fresh-faced 17-year-old, by far the youngest racer the game had ever seen.
However what he lacked in time on planet Earth he greater than made up for along with his apparent pure expertise. It was solely a yr later, aged 18, that he was promoted from the Purple Bull junior outfit and made an instantaneous impression, successful his first race with the highest group.
His team-mate on the time was Ricciardo, who had already established himself as group chief on the Milton Keynes-based squad. However that standing started to destiny as Verstappen continues to shine, whereas there have been moments of pressure – most notably after they collided on the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Ricciardo introduced in the midst of the 2018 season that he would depart on the finish of the yr. Since then, their respective trajectories have diverged considerably with Verstappen turning into a four-time F1 champion and Ricciardo enduring unspectacular stints with Renault and McLaren earlier than dropping off the grid.
He was employed again by Purple Bull as a reserve and obtained again onto the grid in 2023 when Nyck de Vries was axed by sister group Racing Bulls. However, little over a yr later, the Australian too was faraway from his race seat and he has since made it clear that his F1 profession is over.
Nevertheless it appears there are actually no exhausting emotions between Ricciardo and Verstappen. The Aussie made it clear that’s the case from his standpoint in a race interview just lately, having chosen to maintain a largely low profile since leaving the F1 World for good.
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“Seeing Max go on to be, four-time World champion? I lose rely. He has gained that many now,” Ricciardo mentioned throughout a convention look. “However four-time World champion, I’m proud. I’m like, ‘Okay, that was cool. That could be a team-mate I had, that was somebody who I shared a variety of time on observe with’.”
In one other uncommon public look, Ricciardo was noticed earlier this summer season at Wimbledon to soak up some tennis. Pictures taken of him at SW19 present the Australian has chosen to develop out his hair and beard in a stark transformation from his clean-cut look whereas racing, and talked about it as he opened up on what his life has been like away from the F1 circus.
He mentioned: “I have not been shaving my face, the beard is my consolation proper now. This yr has been a little bit of self-exploration. I lived this loopy high-speed life for thus lengthy, and this yr I’ve sat into a bit little bit of stillness. I’ve had a variety of time, I’ve performed some mountain climbing. I used to be in Alaska a couple of weeks in the past and didn’t get mauled by a grizzly, which was a bonus.
“I’ve been attempting to determine who I’m, apart from this race automobile driver. I’ve come to understand the little issues extra and the that means of the significance of household and pals. I’ve at all times been pushed and that typically leads you to being egocentric, so I’m attempting to be taught to be a bit extra selfless and turn into a greater listener.
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“I by no means thought I might have this profession. I by no means thought I might be right here – that’s the fact. Sure, my dream was to be World champion, and there have been years alongside the way in which the place I genuinely felt prefer it was going to occur.
“I obtained shut, that’s okay. If I had been a World champion sitting right here immediately, would it not change how I really feel, or how I view myself, or something like that? I do not suppose so. Perhaps my ego could be huge and we do not need that! I’ve no regrets.”
