Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo has insisted that he is not bothered by the amount of attention that Max Verstappen receives both in the media and from his team.
Daniel Ricciardo not bothered by Verstappen hype in media
Verstappen joined Formula 1 in 2015, driving for Toro Rosso, and quickly rocketed to stardom by becoming F1’s youngest race winner at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. Since then, Vertsappen’s name has been on the lips of many and he has developed one of the biggest group of fans on the grid.
Recently, Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschitz said that it his dream that Verstappen will one day become the youngest champion in the history of Formula 1, and to this, Daniel Ricciardo responded: “The next day after Dietrich said that I called him directly on the phone. I said ‘I’ve read your comments — unless you pay me $10 million dollars, I’m leaving’.”
A smile quickly emerged on Ricciardo’s face however, and in case the Australian’s humour was not known, Red Bull’s press officer clarified that the driver was of course joking.
“Honestly, I don’t really care what goes on in the media, and I don’t take those kind of comments from my bosses personally at all,” the Australian continued, now telling the truth. “I know I have a good relationship with Red Bull and I’ve always been loyal to them as well.
“They’re never unfair to me in any way and from their point of view, I understand why it’s so much about Max. He’s the youngest driver in history and as a brand it makes for pretty good headlines,” he added. “In the end, I know this is also a business.
“I am proving that I’m a good driver and I don’t feel that Verstappen eclipses me in any way even if he has a lot more coverage in the media,” he concluded, saying that he is happy at Red Bull.
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