Daniel Ricciardo speaks his mind about Max Verstappen in rare interview after F1 axe

Daniel Ricciardo has declared his pride in what Max Verstappen has accomplished over his 200 races as a Formula 1 driver. The Dutchman burst onto the scene a decade ago as a fresh-faced 17-year-old, by far the youngest racer the sport had ever seen.

But what he lacked in time on planet Earth he more than made up for with his obvious natural talent. It was only a year later, aged 18, that he was promoted from the Red Bull junior outfit and made an immediate impact, winning his first race with the top team.

His team-mate at the time was Ricciardo, who had already established himself as team leader at the Milton Keynes-based squad. But that status began to fate as Verstappen continues to shine, while there were moments of tension – most notably when they collided at the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Ricciardo announced in the middle of the 2018 season that he would leave at the end of the year. Since then, their respective trajectories have diverged somewhat with Verstappen becoming a four-time F1 champion and Ricciardo enduring unspectacular stints with Renault and McLaren before dropping off the grid.

He was hired back by Red Bull as a reserve and got back onto the grid in 2023 when Nyck de Vries was axed by sister team Racing Bulls. But, little over a year later, the Australian too was removed from his race seat and he has since made it clear that his F1 career is over.

But it seems there are certainly no hard feelings between Ricciardo and Verstappen. The Aussie made it clear that is the case from his standpoint in a race interview recently, having chosen to keep a largely low profile since leaving the F1 World for good.

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"Seeing Max go on to be, four-time World champion? I lose count. He has won that many now," Ricciardo said during a conference appearance. "But four-time World champion, I am proud. I am like, 'Okay, that was cool. That is a team-mate I had, that was someone who I shared a lot of time on track with'."

In another rare public appearance, Ricciardo was spotted earlier this summer at Wimbledon to take in some tennis. Photos taken of him at SW19 show the Australian has chosen to grow out his hair and beard in a stark transformation from his clean-cut appearance while racing, and mentioned it as he opened up on what his life has been like away from the F1 circus.

He said: "I haven't been shaving my face, the beard is my comfort right now. This year has been a bit of self-exploration. I lived this crazy high-speed life for so long, and this year I have sat into a little bit of stillness. I have had a lot of time, I have done some hiking. I was in Alaska a few weeks ago and did not get mauled by a grizzly, which was a bonus.

"I have been trying to figure out who I am, other than this race car driver. I have come to appreciate the little things more and the meaning of the importance of family and friends. I have always been driven and that sometimes leads you to being selfish, so I am trying to learn to be a bit more selfless and become a better listener.

"I never thought I would have this career. I never thought I would be here – that is the truth. Yes, my dream was to be World champion, and there were years along the way where I genuinely felt like it was going to happen.

“I got close, that is okay. If I were a World champion sitting here today, would it change how I feel, or how I view myself, or anything like that? I don't think so. Maybe my ego would be big and we don't want that! I have no regrets."