Daniel Ricciardo addresses Red Bull split and teaming with Max Verstappen again
Ricciardo returned this weekend at the F1 United St🔴ates Grand Prix from injury, having returned to the grid full-time earlier this year with Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri.
His ulti🔯mate goal has always been a return to the top team, though, amid a crisis of confidence in Sergio Perez.
Ricciardo quit Red Bull to goﷺ to Renault as Verstappen’s brilliance starting coming to the fore, and in the wake of a clash between them in Baku in 2018.
“It would be diffe⛄rent,” Ricciardo said to Sky about teaming with Verstappen again.&💟nbsp;
“I think it’d be v🅘ery different. Just from where we are 🍰both at in our careers.
“ I always stand by saying: 𒊎‘I don’t regret anything’.&nbs🅺p;
“At the time, of course, wit🐬h everything that was going on? That was what I felt was the best situation for me.
“Am I happy to be back? And am I happy to be back in that environment w💜ith the people t🌟hat got me here? Absolutely!
“Things are different.”
Riccia🍎rdo opted to step away from F1 full-time after being axed by McLare🉐n last year.
He spent time as Red Bull’s third driver earlier this year - predominantly featuring in the less rigorous marketing schedul🤪ing - before being called up by AlphaTauri to replace t🎉he underperforming Nyck de Vries.
Ricciardo explained how he is different after🌃 his break: “I’m just more mature. I also know this isn’t a matter of life a♕nd death.
I put a lot into it but I’m also a little wiser.
“There’s a bit of a fear sometimes of retirement. You’ve had this one objective your whole life, you’ve woken up every day for the last 20 years to do somet🧜hing.
“So when that goes? Okay, what? Who am I?’
“Fortunately, I felt like I was really happꦚy as well on the sidelines.
“Do I believe I can still win races? Absolutely. Will I be a world 🎉champion one day? I would love to say yes but Iဣ honestly don’t know.
“I can’💫ওt say that ‘yes, it’s definitely going to happen’.
“And if I ended up winning enough races🍌 which lead to a world title, then hell yeah!”
