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Ricciardo on 'aggressive' Verstappen: 'I've always respected him'

30 November 2021 at 06:30
Last update 30 November 2021 at 08:46
  • GPblog.com

Daniel Ricciardo believes that Max Verstappen has matured a lot as a driver. The McLaren driver still sees the aggressive driving style, but sees his former teammate less involved in incidents.

From the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix through to the end of 2018, Ricciardo and Verstappen were teammates at Red Bull Racing. The Australian scored more points than the Dutchman in the first two seasons, but got tougher in his final year at the Austrian racing stable. That was also because Verstappen was getting better as a driver.

Mature Verstappen

''He came in with an aggressive approach, but he has definitely matured as time has gone on. He doesn't find himself in incidents or accidents as much as I feel was the case in his first year in F1'', says the former teammate of the Dutchman according to Motorsport.com.

''He definitely polished that aggression, but it's definitely still there. I don't think it has changed much over the years. Like I said, he's matured since his first year, but his approach hasn't changed. That's in a way what I've always respected. You know you have tough duels with Max,'' the Australian concludes.