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Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he would one day like to be teammates with four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Ricciardo, who has won a Grand Prix on five occasions, is currently paired with Dutch star Max Verstappen at Red Bull, with the two enjoying a publicly healthy relationship.
Ricciardo joined Red Bull in 2014 alongside Sebastian Vettel who was coming off the back of four consecutive world championships. The Australian claimed three race victories that year, as well as getting the better of Vettel in qualifying 12 times.
In 2017, their first full year as teammates, Verstappen out-performed Ricciardo in qualifying, while Ricciardo finished ahead in the drivers' standings. Earlier this week, Ricciardo admitted he was overdriving the car due to the pressure Verstappen was applying.
The 28-year-old's current contract with Red Bull expires at the end of this season, casting doubt over his future with the energy drink-backed team. When asked by RACER if he can be teammate to any of the drivers currently at Mercedes or Ferrari, he said: "I think so.
"I've never really been too fussed about the type of teammate. People will probably call me a liar for this but I would like a fast teammate. For two reasons: It's always going to get more out of yourself, and it's going to be more of a true evaluation of how good you are and where you stand.
"I'm in this sport, yes to win, but to win by being the best, not getting lucky or whatever. If I win a title I want to know that I was the best guy that year. To be the best you have to go against the best and I've certainly got a very good one alongside me in Max [Verstappen]. I would like to go against Lewis at some point, irrespective of team situation. That would be fun."
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
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Replies (7)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
What he is basically saying is that he'd love having a Mercedes seat, and who wouldnt? I expect them to still have the best car in 2018 as a whole, and even if their chassis isnt foolproof, their engine will make up for it.
DutchTreath
Posts: 5,058
Well, IF......Honda come up with a reliable good engine this upcoming season, I bet he will change his mind. And what Mercedes concerning. At some stage even they stock with the development of the engine, were others get the chance to close up.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Yes, IF Honda come up with something good. Sadly we dont know that, and I dont expect that to incarnate in something equal to Ferrari, at least not this year. We can only hope they will stumble upon some issue, but its not likely. Its Mercedes we are talking about. It was one thing back when we saw some MGU-K failures from them every now and then, but that was 2 years ago.
denis1304
Posts: 284
someone is preparing to renegotiate contract at RB
reg
Posts: 162
Again many more yawns!
He's a very quick driver,and clearly a decent guy, but!
To win you have to have the right contract and I doubt he's on Mercs list, plus after Hamilton I suspect Merc will replace him with a German, did they enjoy Dick Seaman doing well in the 30s, did they enjoy Fangio and Moss in the 50s - no do they enjoy Hamilton now, look how they manipulated 2016 so Rosberg won! If you want a drive at Merc in 2019 make sure you are German (Austrian might just cut the Mustard, Aussie no)
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I think the headline was quite deceiving. Seemed quite clear Ricciardo simply wants to race against the best drivers. By the way, as much as Lewis was willing in the past to go against any driver, I don't think he would willingly allow for Bottas to be replaced by Ricciardo. He's already c***blocked Alonso for the same reason: he doesn't want to be challenged in any serious way
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
It wasnt that he was willing, it was that he had no other choice. We've seen over and over that he hasnt mixed well with competitive team mates. If you dont go along well with Button, the most easy going driver (second only to Ricciardo), then you wont get along with many. But now he is the Monark of Mercedes. He can decide on whom he can have alongside him, and he wont choose a potential usurper.