Daniel Ricciardo has made it clear he prefers to have a “fast” teammate in Formula 1 and has again touted his desire to partner with Lewis Hamilton, likely at Mercedes.
The Australian is firmly putting himself on the market as he enters the final year on his current contract with Red Bull and is also well aware the world champions will likely be following him, with Valtteri Bottas only on a single year deal.
Known for his high motivation and competitiveness, leading to the ‘Honey Badger’ nickname, the 28-year-old claims he has no thoughts at all of wanting to be part of a team where he would be the clear ‘number one’.
“I’ve never really been too fussed about the type of teammate,” he told Racer.
“People will probably call me a liar for this but I would like a fast teammate. You’re always going to get more out of yourself and it’s going to be more of a true valuation, how good you are, where you stand.
“I’m in this sport, yes, to win, but to win by being the best, and not getting lucky or whatever. If I win a title I want to know that I was the best guy that year.”
Put to him that he is already meeting that goal as the man across the garage from Max Verstappen, Ricciardo agreed but that doesn’t stop him from dreaming of a chance to compare himself alongside an established great of F1.
“I would love to go up against Lewis at some point, irrespective of the team situation. Yeah, that would be fun!” he smiled.
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With his future past-2018 still unresolved, the five-time Grand Prix winner insists his relationship with Red Bull remains firmly intact and thanked them for allowing him the patience to consider his options.
“I spoke briefly with Red Bull since the end of the season and they haven’t given me an ultimatum either, they haven’t put a contract in front of me and said ‘Sign it this week or we’re moving on’,” he revealed.
“They’ve been kind and given me some time, and they understand that I kinda want to see where we are in the first race or two.”
