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Red Bull “didn’t respect” Daniel Ricciardo in the throes of its “love affair” with Max Verstappen, says Derek Daly, as part of an exclusive interview with RacingNews365.
According to Derek Daly, not showing the same level of support and appreciation to Daniel Ricciardo as they did to Max Verstappen is considered the biggest mistake Red Bull Racing has made in the past decade. Daly emphasizes in an exclusive interview how the lack of respect for Ricciardo led to his departure for Renault in 2019, despite being a popular and successful F1 driver.
When Verstappen was promoted to the top team in 2016, Ricciardo, who had previously outperformed Sebastian Vettel, slowly started to feel marginalized within the team. The preference for Verstappen was evident when he was given a significant pay raise, while Ricciardo was sidelined and eventually decided to leave due to the unequal treatment.
The departure of Ricciardo resulted in a series of unsuccessful attempts to find a suitable second driver alongside Verstappen, with Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda struggling to fill the role effectively. Sergio Perez, who briefly succeeded in the seat, also faced challenges in keeping up with Verstappen’s performance before being replaced.
In Daly’s perspective, the instability within the team and the failure to acknowledge Ricciardo’s abilities have led to ongoing issues in finding a suitable partner for Verstappen. The lack of equal treatment and appreciation for Ricciardo ultimately resulted in his departure and contributed to the difficulties Red Bull faced in maintaining a competitive lineup following his exit.
