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Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has recalled Daniel Ricciardo’s immediate reaction to Max Verstappen’s maiden victory at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, which saw the Dutchman become ‘top dog’ within the Red Bull ranks.
For an F1 driver, their first win in the sport often stands out as a main highlight for them, regardless of what they go on to achieve in the rest of their active driving career.
Max Verstappen is no different. Despite going on to win four world titles, his fairytale victory at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix is one of the most memorable races of the 21st century.
After being given the call-up to Red Bull during his sophomore season in the category, Verstappen pounced on a high-profile incident between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to make his mark on F1 and cement himself as a sure bet to become a world champion in the future.
It catapulted the youngster into stardom at the time, much to the dismay of the rest of the drivers within Red Bull’s stable.
- READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo once chose between Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel after partnering both
🔢 Rank Max Verstappen’s five teammates since Daniel Ricciardo
Karun Chandhok recalls Daniel Ricciardo’s silent reaction to Max Verstappen’s first win in F1
During a column on the top ten best moments of his post-racing broadcasting career for The Intercooler, Karun Chandhok placed Verstappen’s maiden victory in F1 at number five.
At just 18 years and 228 days old, Verstappen became the youngest ever F1 Grand Prix winner, a record that is unlikely to be broken in the future.
The pundit recalled how the now four-time world champion didn’t put a foot wrong as he was hunted down by the Ferrari duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.
Chandhok then noted Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat’s silent reaction to the Dutchman’s feat in the Red Bull hospitality building.
He wrote, “As soon as the race was over, instead of going to talk to the team bosses, I opted to grab a word with Jos as we walked to the podium.
“The Dutchman is a notoriously hard man, but he was rendered almost speechless; he had tears in his eyes as he tried to recall what his son had just achieved.
“I also remember sticking my head into the Red Bull motorhome for a coffee later, and it happened to be as Daniel and Daniil both walked in.
“They gave each other a look across the motorhome and shook their heads. No words exchanged, but both knew that, from that moment, there was a new top dog at Red Bull.”
The Russian was the man who Verstappen replaced upon his call-up to the frontrunning Red Bull team, with Ricciardo proving to be the first and only teammate of the Dutchman’s who could beat him in equal machinery.
Kvyat has since theorised on why Verstappen’s teammates have languished alongside him at Red Bull, highlighting the 28-year-old’s synergy with the team around him as a stark advantage.
Which driver made the worst team switch in the history of Formula 1?
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Christian Horner previously outlined the main reason why Daniel Ricciardo never won an F1 title
Ricciardo would go on to partner with Verstappen for three seasons before his eventual departure to Renault ahead of the 2019 F1 campaign.
As an eight-time Grand Prix winner and a fan-favourite inside the F1 paddock, the Australian is widely regarded as one of the best drivers to never claim a world championship for himself.
Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner thinks Ricciardo peaked at the wrong time, with his most successful years in F1 coming before their rise to dominance in the ground-effect era.
It’s widely believed that Ricciardo opted to leave the Austrian constructor due to their infatuation with Verstappen’s talents.
In hindsight, his move to Renault can only be filed under the list of career moves that backfired massively in the following years.
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