Ricciardo: Verstappen raises my level of play

Daniel Ricciardo has been on an upward slope for several Grands Prix. The pilot Red Bull Racing won four podiums in five races and finds himself in third place in the Championship with 50 points ahead of his teammate Max Verstappen who joined him during the season.

The Australian believes that it was the arrival of Max Verstappen which helped to boost him. “It was probably a new step in my personal career or in my driving, said Daniel Ricciardo in the paddock of the Malaysian GP. I performed well against Daniil (Kvyat, demoted to Toro Rosso) pre-season testing in Russia where Max joined us. »

“I feel like Max raised his level of play even more and I raised him as well... It's certain that my career would have been on a downward slope if he had kicked my butt over the last ten races. We are always curious in this kind of situation. I wasn't nervous, but the pressure was there. I knew for his part that he was not impressed and that was confirmed from the first test session in Barcelona where he was at the limit”, added Daniel Ricciardo.

Max Verstappen has not been on the podium since the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, but the Dutchman remains the only one this season to have beaten the Mercedes by winning the Spanish GP in Barcelona.