The McLaren driver believes the support for Lewis Hamilton and the perceived injustice he faced at the Abu Dhabi GP doesn’t downgrade the Dutchman’s worthiness of being a world champion.
Speaking to Racing News 365 in this regard, Ricciardo said:
The Australian driver supported his former teammate, suggesting it was incorrect to question Verstappen’s world-championship credentials.
Having driven alongside the Dutchman for three years, the former Red Bull driver believes the 23-year-old deserved to be the 2021 world champion. Despite sympathising with Hamilton, Ricciardo believes it is incorrect to criticise the Red Bull champion.
The 32-year-old believes both the Dutchman and Hamilton drove phenomenally throughout the season to deserve the title.
However, the Australian feels no matter how the season finale ended, only one could have emerged a winner. Therefore, despite the unfortunate events of the Abu Dhabi GP, Ricciardo extended his support towards his former teammate.
Daniel Ricciardo believes Max Verstappen was always going to be a world champion
Reflecting on his years as a Red Bull driver, Ricciardo said that he thought Max Verstappen would claim the world title at some point in his career.
The Australian believes both he and Max Verstappen pushed each other to the limit, making them worthy of at least one title. Reflecting on his time as the Verstappen’s teammate, Ricciardo said:
From 2016 to 2018 when the Australian partnered Verstappen, Red Bull failed to provide them with a competitive package to win titles. However, on a good day, the duo posed a serious threat to world champions Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, who were fighting for the championship in that period.
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