Daniel Ricciardo has arguably been at the wrong place at the wrong time in F1. He peaked with Red Bull when they dropped the ball to Mercedes in 2014. Then he left them just when they were on a resurgence in 2018. However, he had anticipated Max Verstappen becoming a world champion. And he was surely in the right place on that prediction.

Daniel Ricciardo mentioned how he saw Verstappen becoming a world champion in statements to the Formula 1 website. He also pointed out how the Dutchman started to grow as a complete driver towards the end of 2018. The Aussie driver said how he overcame his crashes and incidents to become a mature driver in the title fight against Lewis Hamilton.

Ricciardo has been a well-wisher for Max Verstappen, despite his history with the 2021 champion. But when asked about whether he can continue his title streak in 2023 and beyond, the Honey Badger was slightly skeptical.

Daniel said, “There’s no guarantee [of success], but I certainly saw that, especially because he was so young. I’m not surprised he’s in this position. Even now, predicting will this be his second of five, or his second of only three… It’s hard to know, because again you need the team and the package.” 

Ricciardo’s point makes sense, as F1 is highly unpredictable. Any team that is on top might lose car performance the next season. Besides the car, the team’s efficiency and execution also should be consistent for a title challenge.

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While Red Bull has it sorted with both these factors, for now, it’s hard to say how long they can maintain the status quo. With Ricciardo back at Milton Keynes, he might want to contribute towards Max’s title challenges.

What if Daniel Ricciardo stayed at Red Bull?

Being Daniel Ricciardo is tough right now, given the couple of bad career moves he made. While the moves were not catastrophic, the timing of them certainly was. There were reasons that led Daniel to leave Red Bull in 2018, but could he have stayed to bear with it for his greater goals?

Let’s consider this hypothetical scenario of Ricciardo persisting on to stay at Milton Keynes. This was the time when the Austrian outfit decided to switch its engine partner to Honda from 2019 onwards. The Japanese manufacturer improved immensely since then and provided Red Bull with an amazing power unit for their 2021 title fight.

Daniel could have been the beneficiary of the same as Max. The Dutchman has gotten 30 wins since Honda became Red Bull’s power unit partner. The Honey Badger could have had his share in this number, or maybe could have increased it.

The biggest prospect was Red Bull having two solid race winners in their 2021 title fight with Mercedes. It could have very well become a 3-way fight for the drivers’ title with Ricciardo in it as well. We never know what might have been, as one decision caused a domino effect.

Watch This Story: McLaren Boss highlights major flaws with Red Bull Racing using Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo’s examples.

Now Daniel himself has no regrets over his Red Bull exit. He may be feeling something about what could have been. Either way, with him back with the team, he will look to find a way to revive his career. Still, do you think Ricciardo should have stayed at RBR?