No matter how bad the situation, Daniel Ricciardo always carries a beaming smile on his face. That perhaps is the biggest quality he has that makes him so affable. In F1, your teammate is your biggest rival. Despite that, the Honey Badger has shared a cordial relationship with every teammate he’s had until now. Among them is Max Verstappen, the man who made his debut at Red Bull when the Aussie heartthrob was making a name for himself there. The duo reunited this year when Daniel failed to get a seat and rejoined Red Bull, albeit as a 3rd driver this time. His former partner has now made a heartfelt wish for him, one that his current one might not like too much.

Max was still trying to find his feet in F1 when Daniel took him under his wing. Even the Dutchman’s father, Jos, who mentored him since his karting days, admitted that Ricciardo had a bigger influence on his son. That just goes on to show how close they were. However, after 3 years together, the senior RB driver left, a move that many, to this day, believe was a mistake.

Speaking with Australian broadcaster Nine recently, the reigning champion said, “First of all, I do hope he gets a seat again. We’ve done a lot of things together, as teammates we had a lot of fun. We of course had really good competition but at the time I was still young. I just got into Formula 1 and I think having a teammate like Daniel helped a lot. He was very open, honest, and like I said, we had great times together and then of course, he moved on. And now he’s back with the family. Also, in the coming races, he’ll attend a few more. We’ll have a good time. But I hope for him after this year, he gets back on the grid.”

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The comments may irk Sergio Perez as many feel Daniel’s presence in the team is a threat to his position. Despite repeated assurances from RB’s management, such rumors have refused to die down.

When Daniel Ricciardo chose Max Verstappen over Lando Norris despite being a McLaren driver

Ricciardo joined McLaren in 2021 and lasted for just two years owing to a series of underwhelming performances. However, that never came in between his friendship with Lando Norris. Fans always saw the Papaya teammates as a happy-go-lucky pair. Despite that, when it came to choosing between Lando and Max, the Aussie chose the latter.

Speaking with EFTM Online, Daniel told, “I mean I have to say Max but it’s probably just based off I’ve had more experience with him. But I mean judging by like the last weekend [in Italy where Norris secured a P3 finish], Lando certainly raced race really well.”

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Max’s wish for his former teammate resonates a lot with the Honey Badger’s fans’. We all wish to see him take to the track once again next year.