Daniel Ricciardo has reunited with former teammate Max Verstappen after he signed up for a third driver role at Red Bull. Ricciardo drove alongside Verstappen for 3 seasons before he moved to Renault in 2019. Verstappen has had a frenemy relationship with Ricciardo. They shared an amicable dynamic as teammates, barring a few moments.

Max Verstappen has really grown his stature in F1 since Ricciardo left Red Bull. The Dutchman has won 30 races since Daniel left and has become a 2-time world champion. Though Verstappen once admitted that it was the Aussie driver who helped him to develop his speed in F1.

In a 2020 interview with The Age, Verstappen expressed his views on an underwhelming 2019 season for Daniel Ricciardo. He said, “I know Daniel [Ricciardo] and I know Daniel is very fast, so I can imagine last year [2019] was not the easiest for him.” 

Max explained how Ricciardo’s speed can be compared with himself and his past teammates. He added, “It’s very hard to compare against someone like [world champion] Lewis [Hamilton], because there is no real comparison.”

“But Daniel was faster than Seb [Sebastian Vettel] in the year they raced together [at Red Bull in 2014], and I’ve raced alongside him long enough to know that he’s a very fast guy.”

It’s amazing to hear Max admit that racing alongside Daniel helped him to fast-track his development in F1. Yet, their on-track battles prove how close they were pace-wise.

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Who knows if we ever get to see Daniel and Max racing together once again? With Ricciardo being a Red Bull reserve driver, it is a rare probability of a Verstappen-Ricciardo battle on track.

Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo – The Battles at Red Bull

Over the 3 seasons from 2016 to 2018, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo fought each other on track consistently. It was a tasty rivalry for fans to watch. There were moments of hard, respectful racing as well as some flashpoints of rivalry.

Their first race at Barcelona as teammates served up a great strategic battle between the duo. After the Mercedes cars collided, the Red Bulls and Ferraris were battling for the 2016 Spanish GP win. While Daniel committed to a 3-stop strategy, Max held his nerve on a 2-stopper to win his debut race for Red Bull.

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Moving to Malaysia later in the 2016 season, Ricciardo and Verstappen again battled for the win. It was a hard racing battle at Sepang as the Honey Badger held off Max to win the Malaysian GP. It was the duo’s only 1-2 finish for Red Bull.

Though two of their biggest flashpoints were yet to come. In the 2017 Hungarian GP, Verstappen clattered into the left side of Ricciardo’s RB13, forcing Daniel to retire. The Australian called Max an “amateur” on team radio.

And then there was the infamous crash at Baku in 2018. Ricciardo was chasing Verstappen down the straights in Azerbaijan. As the duo approached Turn 1, Daniel went into the back of his teammate’s car, ending both their races.

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It’s fair to believe after so many battles with Ricciardo, Verstappen would have gained quite some insights into his development. Which is your favorite battle between Verstappen and Ricciardo?