Ricciardo denies 'running' from Verstappen
Daniel Ricciardo has denied he is "running from a fight" with Max Verstappen in 2019.
Christian Horner, the Red Bull boss, made the claim in the new Netflix series Drive to Survive, when contemplating the reason Ricciardo fled to Renault.
"My assumption is that he is running from a fight," Horner said.
But Australian Ricciardo says that is wrong.
"I obviously say no, not true -- I love a good fight," he told EFTM.
"It's more about me than Max and a lot of (other) reasons", Ricciardo said, explaining that he feared becoming frustrated by yet another passing year at Red Bull without a title.
"We never really got close. I'm not bitter about it, it's just the reality," he said.
"It wasn't about Max, I can understand why they'd say that but it's wrong."
But Ricciardo admits that, at least this year, he will be behind Red Bull.
"As you know, the gap to the top three is big so it's not going to happen overnight," he said.
✅ Check out more posts with related topics:
After all of the years he had with them, it proves they didn't understand him at all. Change the narrative why don't you, because you are still smarting that someone had the balls to walk away, fully understanding the risks. How embarrassing for Red Bull for someone to dare show the courage of his convictions, rightly or wrongly. Dan's been all class in this, can't say the same for his former bosses.....
Well said Lenny. You have hit the nail on the head.
Is there another driver more respected and loved that he ever smiling Daniel Ricciardo.
Yes, I would say yes. Vettel is both loved by his fans and respected by most both drivers and general public. Hamilton is respected as the top notch driver, pandered to by the media and sycophants. Loved - not so much.
That is quite wrong. Vettel can be quite a sour bastard who will resort to any dirty trick if he thinks he can get away with it. The only people who have respect for him are his fans and most of them are really just Ferrari fans, not Vettel fans. He knows that Ricciardo would be a challenge for his number one place in the team, that is why he vetoed any move to sign Ricciardo at the end of last season despite the Italian media wanting them to sign him.Sour grapes and fear again.
Of course I am quite wrong as are you! What is the point of being a fan of someone if you are not willing to go on the ledge in support of your driver and/or your ideas. In that respect you and I are a pot and a kettle calling each other black. When it comes to the facts reality about each and every driver is a little different. Ricciardo fans never tire of harping on how Vettel couldn't hold his own against Danny when they were teammates. Those same fans of Danny conveniently forget how Daniil Kvyat handily beat Danny Riccardo the first season they were teammates.
All of us are entitled to our favourites but not to our own, private, facts.
Horner is an idiot of the greater kind! I stopped listening to what he says years ago!
Good on Daniel for getting out of that vipers nest called Red Bull!