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Daniel Ricciardo is the only driver to have had the pleasure of sharing a garage with both Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, and the eight-time Grand Prix winner once had to choose between them both after being asked who is the better driver over a single lap.
Despite never actually claiming a world title for himself, Daniel Ricciardo’s daring overtaking manoeuvres and general demeanour in the F1 paddock will ensure that he won’t be a forgotten name anytime soon.
The Australian fan favourite didn’t just partner two four-time world champions in Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen; he also managed to beat them both over the course of a single season, something that has never happened since in the Dutchman’s career.
Given his previous track record with the current Red Bull star, Ricciardo has even advised F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad on how to get the better of Verstappen during Grands Prix.
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Daniel Ricciardo picked Max Verstappen over Sebastian Vettel during a 2019 interview with Nico Rosberg
During a 2019 appearance on Nico Rosberg’s podcast, Ricciardo was asked for his opinion on what separated Verstappen from his world champion-winning predecessor at Red Bull.
At the time of the interview, Verstappen was in the midst of his fifth season in F1 and had already cemented himself as a star on the grid despite not yet winning his first world title.
Ricciardo said, “With Max, I really think that we pushed each other more and more, and got that extra two-tenths that sometimes we didn’t think was there. Another thing with Max, he was just quick out of the box as well, like FP1, first lap, just go.
“There wasn’t much of a feeling-out process. I think he drives on a lot of probably instinct, and he just goes. There wasn’t much of a build-up, and at a new track, feeling it and getting the tyres in.
“He’s still, I guess, technical, but he’s probably got less than Seb. He was much more of a sensitive driver, a lot more sensors in his body to kind of communicate with the car, whereas Max drives probably more off instinct and raw talent.”
The former Red Bull star was then asked who he would choose out of the two drivers to put up a better lap time over a single lap.
Ricciardo answered, “Max. I won’t take anything away from Seb. Like, Seb is not slow by any means. But I would say on raw speed, probably more so, because Max is still young.
“And I think, if he’s quick now, he’s probably only going to get quicker, whereas Seb’s been doing it that long.
“I think you’ll always improve as a driver, but there’s probably less room to grow for Seb and there’s more for Max.”
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Daniel Ricciardo’s prediction for Max Verstappen has turned out to be spot on
Since Ricciardo put his faith in Verstappen during his chat with Rosberg, the Dutchman has gone on to become an F1 legend.
Verstappen held just five Grand Prix victories to his name at the time of the podcast, and the Red Bull star has gone on to claim the third spot in the all-time list of F1 drivers with the most wins in the sport with 71.
The tally has trumped Vettel’s previous Red Bull record, as well as the number of winners’ trophies that the German took home altogether during his 16-year career in F1.
What’s more, Verstappen is now heading into only his 12th year of racing in F1, making the feat all the more impressive considering how far ahead of Vettel he is in the all-time standings.
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