Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has no sympathy for Daniel Ricciardo after he opted not to “fight” Max Verstappen.
The Australian was the lead man at the Milton Keynes-based team from 2014, winning seven times and finishing third in the Drivers’ Championship twice in a five-year spell.
And reflecting on Ricciardo’s rise, Marko spoke highly of his former driver.
“A cheerful, natural talent with outstanding car control,” he said via Red Bull’s Red Bulletin.
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“I remember at the very first selection, he came out of the final bend with the back of the car way out, but he managed to get it back under control and even ended up making up some time.
“Daniel gets into the car and is fast straight from the off.
“Even before he came to Red Bull, his career was on an upward trajectory the whole time. In his first year at Red Bull, he beat [Sebastian] Vettel by three wins to nil.”
However, in 2018, Ricciardo shocked the paddock when he announced a move to Renault for 2019.
A decision that came just as Verstappen, who joined Red Bull partway through 2016, was beginning to establish himself as the lead driver.
“Max coming on the scene was a crunch point in his career,” Marko continued. “Rather than taking up the fight, he wanted to keep his distance.
“And you know what happened next. That’s too bad!
“He was always nice to work with. His speed is comparable to that of Max, but he’s just lacking that ultimate consistency.”
Since leaving Red Bull, Ricciardo’s career has largely floundered with the exception of a few podiums with Renault in 2020 and an eighth Grand Prix win in an otherwise difficult first year at McLaren in 2021.
And now, continued poor results see the 33-year-old facing increased uncertainty over his F1 future beyond 2023, while Verstappen is potentially on course to become a double world champion this year.
But recently asked about his relationship with Marko, the ‘Honey Badger’ was typically Ricciardo.
“Helmut gave me a lot of sh*t over the years, so didn’t need to sit down…after I left, there was no need for that anymore!” he said via PlanetF1.
“I would say obviously I have less interactions with Helmut these days, but of course, I would say the relationship is still the same. It’s very honest, very Helmut.
“My admiration, or respect, for the man has remained unchanged. He’s a good guy. So no ‘I told you so’. That’s part of the sport. And we’ll move on.”
