Ricciardo: No excuses for being outperformed by Verstappen

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Daniel Ricciardo offered an honest assessment of his performance this year relative to team mate Max Verstappen, saying he had no excuses to put forward.

The Aussie has been consistently outrun in qualifying lately by the Dutch prodigy who also put two race wins under his belt in the last four races.

"I do not give any excuses," Ricciardo told Dutch publication Formula 1.

"Max is just driving brilliantly this year and knows how to get the most out of the car in every race."

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The Honey Badger is over 40 points ahead of Verstappen in the drivers' championship however, mainly as a result of the 20-year-old finding himself on the receiving end of his Renault engine's poor reliability record over the summer.

"That's incredible," Ricciardo admitted. "Max has had a lot of bad luck and I have no explanation for why.

"I have asked the engineers if it could be because of him, but Max is not too rough with the equipment.

"It's just pure bad luck," he insisted.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.