Daniel Ricciardo does not see the buzz surrounding Max Verstappen as a problem, and believes performing well against the young Dutchman will be positive towards his own career.
The Australian was joined by Verstappen in the Red Bull Racing line-up ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in 2016, with Daniil Kvyat going the other way back to Scuderia Toro Rosso, and immediately saw the Dutchman take victory, but ultimately Ricciardo finished higher in the championship standings, taking a victory of his own in the Malaysian Grand Prix, his first since the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix.
A lot of attention has been paid to Verstappen since becoming the youngest driver in Formula 1 history, but Ricciardo knows that should he continue to perform well against the Dutchman, his own reputation will be enhanced.
“The way that I see it, it is quite cool – because the more highly regarded he is, then if I can go out next year and beat him, it doesn’t make me look bad,” said Ricciardo on Motorsport.com.
“If everyone was saying he was crap and he doesn’t deserve the seat, and I am just managing to beat him, then it doesn’t make me look very good. So, I would say he is twice as good as [Ayrton] Senna!”
