Daniel Ricciardo has finally suggested Red Bull likely favouring Max Verstappen was the reason for his departure to Renault.
A back and forth has continued to take place between the driver and his former team with the Australian denying reported comments by Christian Horner that he 'ran away from the fight' against Verstappen.
However, after saying for months that uncertainty over Honda and a new for a fresh start were the motives for his decision, now Ricciardo concedes internal politics was a factor.
"I have nothing against Max, we always got along well and that was even the case after the incident in Baku." the 'Honey Badger' told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I never thought that I couldn't work with him or that the team would give him a better car.
"But I think that in the event of a fight for the title, the team would be on Max's side. They want to make him the youngest world champion in history."
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Since Ricciardo left, the team has been quick to shift their focus primarily onto Verstappen with Pierre Gasly brought in alongside the Dutchman.
And as for breaking that record, the 21-year-old still has two more seasons to achieve it, with Sebastian Vettel the current youngest F1 champion at 23 years and 134 days.
But Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has predicted he will win the title this year after what he called the "best tests for us since the introduction of the hybrid formula".
“Ferrari is ahead, then we come in front of Mercedes,” he added, speaking to Speed Week.
“We did an incredible mileage despite Pierre Gasly’s crashes, we had absolute reliability thanks to Honda.”
