Daniel Ricciardo: The REAL reason Ricciardo fell out with Max Verstappen and Red Bull
DANIEL RICCIARDO had an altercation with Red Bull and team-mate Max Verstappen last season that ultimately led to him leaving the team - but what was the reason?
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen famously crashed during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last year. And the Australian driver says the handling of that incident was a key factor in his decision to leave for Renault. The pair crashed on lap 40 during the race, forcing them both to retire. The new Netflix documentary series, ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’, offers a unique insight into how the events unfolded.
Red Bull team principle Christian Horner revealed prior to the race that both drivers had agreed to give each other space.
Upon watching the crash on screen, Horner fumed: “That’s 25,30 points we’ve just f****d away there.”
Verstappen said: “We were fighting for position but yeah, of course, you never want to crash with your team-mate.”
It led to the pair being told to apologise to their team, however, Ricciardo felt it unfair that both drivers were given an equal share of the blame.
Ricciardo said: “I was sure of what happened. I was sure I wasn’t the cause of it.
“I was kind of made to feel guilty.
“This year I’m going to be out of contract, and I think ‘What am I going to achieve doing one more year with Red Bull?’
“You know, I could be happier having a fresh start.”
At one point in the documentary while on his farm in Surrey, Horner is feeding his donkeys before quipping: “Oh look, here’s Max and Daniel.”
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His wife, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell then says: “Sometimes they love each other and sometimes they butt each other.”
Horner added: “In fact, sometimes managing donkeys is easier than managing drivers.”
There was growing speculation that Red Bull were throwing more weight behind Verstappen for its future.
In 2017, the team signed a lucrative contract with the Dutch driver that reportedly eclipsed Ricciardo’s deal.