Clearly, Max Verstappen is the undeniable dominant driver on the grid in recent times. It is hard to point out to any specific driver from the past who had such a dominant period in Formula One. Since last year, Verstappen has won 27 races so far. And there are still eight races remaining in the 2023 season. The Dutchman won ten races in a row after the Italian Grand Prix. Thus, he broke former Red Bull champion Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive wins.
Last year, Max broke Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettell’s record of 13 wins in a season as he won 15. And shockingly, he can definitely break his own record this year. On top of that, he can be the first driver to win 20 races in a season. Keeping count of Verstappen’s records, Daniel Ricciardo talked about what he admires about the Dutchman on the Talking Bull episode. CHECKOUT!
What Personality Trait Daniel Ricciardo Admires About Max Verstappen?
Ricciardo returned to Red Bull this year after a long time, and it seemed like he had grown a strong bond with the Dutchman. The Aussie was Max’s first teammate when he joined Red Bull in 2015. Hence, he has been familiar with the evolution of the young star from a rookie to the current world champion. Daniel likes the fact that Verstappen has the same approach to racing even after all these years. He even acknowledged that the success has not changed the Red Bull champ at all.
Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and George Russell “press conference” #JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/QQdhZJ2V2r
— F1 To Rule Them All (@F1RulesMedia) October 6, 2022
This personality trait is really admirable, feels Daniel Ricciardo. Despite the Honey Badger’s admiration for Max Verstappen, they are not yet teammates. However, they were a few months ago when the Aussie was the third driver in the Red Bull team. Moreover, in the next season, there is a chance that Daniel Ricciardo can replace Sergio Perez in the Red Bull team. Hence, then the Aussie and the Dutchman will be teammates again.
Why Many Experts And Fans Don’t Like Verstappen?
There are many experts who do not like the Dutchman, calling him ‘selfish’ and ‘ruthless.’ There have been occasions in his career when Max publicly denied his team’s orders and pushed the car to its limit. Hence, many experts and even fans call him too competitive. Moreover, the total domination that he is currently enjoying is actually making the sport look boring. For instance, the Mercedes boss Toto Wolff mentioned earlier that if it were possible to put Max out of the equation, the season would have been much more competitive.
On top of that, many drivers in the past blamed Verstappen for leaving Red Bull because it was way too much pressure. For instance, Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull in 2018 to join Renault, and later, Pierre Gasly moved out of Red Bull, citing the pressure of Verstappen as a teammate as the reason. Currently, Sergio Perez often talks about the pressure he is facing because Verstappen is becoming unstoppable.
