If anyone ever thought that Valtteri Bottas did not have the gumption to fight for wins and podiums, they only need to look as far as Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian even admitted that Bottas was his biggest rival in his junior days, especially in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0.
During the British Grand Prix race, Valtteri Bottas was leading after starting from pole position. However, he could not afford to rest on his laurels as Ricciardo was hounding him for much of the race and threatening to overtake. With less-than a minute and one lap to go, Bottas did everything in his power to hold back the charging Australian.
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However, with a few corners left, Daniel Ricciardo struck and overtook Bottas to take the win, his second of the season. Although Ricciardo won, the general consensus was that there were two winners in the race, as both drivers banged in exceptional performances.
The best part was that, although it was hard racing, the duo kept their noses clean and respected each other’s personal bubble. It wouldn’t be long before their rivalry reignited in Formula One, with both drivers in top teams like Mercedes and Red Bull. Even before they reached the top, Daniel Ricciardo was flawless when he was pitted against Sebastian Vettel, while Bottas proved his mettle against Felipe Massa in the Williams.
However, for the 2020 season, Bottas is racing for Mercedes, and pitted alongside another Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 graduate, Lewis Hamilton. Meanwhile, Ricciardo will be partnering Mercedes junior driver Esteban Ocon. In 2019, Bottas went through one of his strongest seasons, while Ricciardo was on a massive learning curve in his maiden year as a Renault driver.
Admittedly, Ricciardo and Bottas have not had a chance to reignite their rivalry, but there have been occasional sparks of it over their years in F1.
