Max Verstappen showed true colours with message to Daniel Ricciardo before F1 axe
Daniel Ricciardo has revealed a classy moment from rival Max Verstappen.
Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that Max Verstappen was ‘one of the only guys’ to text him earlier in the year, offering his former Red Bull team-mate a message of support during a period of intense external criticism after the Japanese Grand Prix.
The popular Aussie has endured a challenging season with VCARB, scoring points in just three Grands Prix this season. Now, after a challenging outing in Singapore, his F1 career appears to be coming to an end.
With Liam Lawson expected to take over as Yuki Tsunoda’s team-mate for the final six races of the year, Ricciardo gave a series of emotional interviews after the Singapore Grand Prix, looking back on his F1 career.
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One of the key topics discussed was his friendship with three-time world champion Verstappen, with whom he became closely acquainted following their time together at Red Bull before Ricciardo’s ill-fated Renault move in 2019.
“It’s a funny thing you know because as team-mates you just know each other more, you spend so much time together, you see all of the data, you see everything,” he told Sky Sports F1. “And from a professional point of view, it’s like you can get inside each other’s head and I got to know how he thinks, and he knows how I think.
“I don’t know… so it’s a weird intimacy and obviously then, you know, after my Red Bull stint he went on and won championships… I don’t know, at the time we had such a rivalry but also such a… I think we really enjoyed it and it became such a respect.
“I think Max has grown into a very… obviously great driver but a very mature young man and he’s always been very appreciative of our friendship and supportive.
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“After Japan this year I was getting quite a lot of stick, and he was one of the only guys that sent me a text and said: ‘Mate, keep your head up, we know what you’re capable of and don’t listen to the noise.’ Yeah, so [I] respect and appreciate him a lot.”
To pay him back for his friendship over the years, Ricciardo produced one last gift for his former Red Bull team-mate. After stopping for a set of soft compound tyres, the 35-year-old snatched the fastest lap point away from Lando Norris on his final tour of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
