'He didn't care': Ricciardo lifts the lid on 'immature' Verstappen

Daniel Ricciardo has pinpointed the reasons he believes Max Verstappen is one of Formula Ones great drivers, as well as one of its most controversial figures.

The pair endured a tumultuous relationship while teammates at Red Bull, and Ricciardo has now opened up on the reasons why Verstappen may have rubbed people up the wrong way.

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Verstappen was a teenager when he joined Ricciardo at Red Bull halfway through the 2016 season - quickly forging a reputation as one of the quickest drivers, but also one of the most reckless.

The Dutchman is renowned for the being one of the most aggressive drivers on the F1 circuit but has often been penalised and earned the ire of his fellow drivers due to his tendency for making impetuous overtaking manoeuvres.

The 22-year-old's hot-headed nature is still evident and fellow drivers such as six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton have often criticised him for taking too many risks.

Ricciardo said on sports broadcaster Mark Howard's podcast, The Howie Games, that he thinks Verstappen's issues come from his care-free nature.

"He didn’t care what others thought about him, he didn’t care about the nuances of protecting machinery Red Bull had spent millions of dollars on and he didn’t care that F1 drivers, as the faces of teams that boast hundreds of employees, have much more responsibility on their shoulders than simply what happens during the two hours of a grand prix.

“I think a lot of it was his age at the time, that had its downsides with a little bit of immaturity but it had its upsides,” Ricciardo said.

“He really just didn’t care about anything, about annoying people or about the risks.

“It was like, ‘I’m just going to go out there and drive this thing as hard as I can’.

“He probably didn’t understand the responsibility … so he raced with a lot of free will and that worked out pretty well for him a handful of times.

“When he joined the team, really from day one he just got out of the pits and really ragged the car and wasn’t really caring about protecting the equipment or anything.

“It was just 100 or nothing and that was cool because a lot of the time I would build up to it and sometimes I was a bit too nice as well on the car.

“We certainly pushed each other a bit harder.”

Ricciardo had been a consistent race-winner with the Red Bull team, including three wins in that 2018 campaign, but felt he needed a fresh start when he joined Renault.

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It was a decision that caught most F1 pundits and fans by surprise - and his former boss is still mystified by the decision to this day.

While there had been some tension between Ricciardo and Verstappen throughout the 2018 season, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Sky F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham he didn’t think that tension was a deal-breaker for the Australian.

“It was a shame because there was a great dynamic between the drivers. I was not aware of any frustration or favouritism he (Ricciardo) felt existed within the team,” Horner said.

“It’s something we talked about a lot over the years.

“He was a competitive driver but he obviously felt that he needed a change, he needed a stimulus and the Max factor for sure was an element in his decision-making.

“I just couldn’t understand his decision-making.

“I like Daniel very much, he’s a great guy, he was a great member of this team and if I take off my Red Bull hat I couldn’t understand his logic behind the move that he made.

“If it was for Mercedes or Ferrari I could have understood that.”

Horner, well-known for his uncompromising attitude as Red Bull team principal, says only Ricciardo could say if he regrets his move to Renault for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Renault’s 2019 campaign was ultimately a disappointment, plagued by uncharacteristic driver errors by Ricciardo early in the season and a car that underperformed for all but a handful of races.

Red Bull, on the other hand, kept themselves in championship contention after switching to Honda engines, ending their long-running partnership with Renault, who had been their power supplier for most of their time in F1.

“I think only Daniel can answer that,” Horner replied when Pinkham asked if Ricciardo regretted the switch.

“Had he been in the team last year he would have been challenging for victories and pole positions but that wasn’t the case.

“What his thoughts on that are, I’m not a mind-reader.”

with agencies