Years after leaving Red Bull over Baku incident, Daniel Ricciardo sheds light on potential Max Verstappen reunion

Daniel Ricciardio, after a long wait, has officially returned to the game at the US Grand Prix in 2023. The Australian has previously claimed that his return to the game will be much stronger than before, and he will settle his score with the reigning supreme, Max Verstappen.

The history between Max Verstappen and Daniel dates back a long time. Although both of them denied any sort of personal rivalry between them, the fans have suspected their tension during the race as Daniel comes to face Verstappen once again in the US GP.

Daniel Ricciardo eyes Red Bull comeback and Verstappen pairing

After Daniel’s crash with Max at the Azerbaijan GP back in 2018, reporters had asked the Australian several times whether or not he held a grudge against the three-time World Champion. However, he always denied having any enmity towards Verstappen.

However, with his return to the game as an AlphaTauri driver, fans are eagerly anticipating witnessing the heated battle between him and the now-three-consecutive World Champion.

The AlphaTauri opportunity has been widely regarded as a test for Ricciardo,  considering his potential to take over from Sergio Perez and reunite with Verstappen as his teammate in 2025.

He claims that the dynamics this time would be very different if the scenario occurred.

 He told SkySports that “It would be different,”

“I think it’d be very different just from probably where we are both at in our career.”

“And I always stand by saying like, I don’t regret anything. And at the time, of course, with everything that was going on, that was what I felt was the best situation for me.”

“But I would say, look, am I happy to be back? And am I happy to be back in that environment with the people that let’s say got me here? Absolutely.”

“Things are different.”

Red Bull’s handling of Baku crash fueled Ricciardo’s exit

Daniel Ricciardo has also admitted that the crash in Azerbaijan did play a small role in his choosing Renault over Red Bull in 2019. An ex-driver has also exclaimed to be inspired more by Alonso’s performance rather than Daniel’s jolly fake smile.

Speaking about the circumstances, the driver claimed that it was unfair of the team to blame both Verstappen and him equally for the incident.

 He said “We both got a talking to, putting it politely, but in my eyes, I felt like I was not really in the wrong even though I was the one that hit him. I think most people saw the double move.”

“Even before that, there was a lot of contact and I think a lot of people thought it went on too long.”

“I guess the way it was handled at the time didn’t sit too well with me, so that was like a little thing that bothered me. But it wasn’t the deal breaker, if you know what I mean.”

Do you think it was fair of Red Bull to favor Verstappen more than Daniel at the race? Do let us know in the comment section below.