Ricciardo 'never underestimated Verstappen'

When Max Verstappen arrived at Red Bull in place of Daniil Kvyat, Daniel Ricciardo might have been forgive for thinking that it wouldn't mean much of a change as far as he was concerned.

But the less-experienced Verstappen promptly won on his first outing with the team in Spain, and ever since Ricciardo has had to fight hard to keep ahead of the teenager in some close battles on the track in both qualifying and race trim.

However Ricciardo said that he had always known Verstappen was a prodigious talent and that far from underestimating his new team mate, Ricciardo fully expected to have to fight on his hands if he were to retain his position as team leader.

"I expected a challenge," Ricciardo insisted in an interview with Germany's Motorsport-Total.com magazine.

"I knew that Red Bull hadn't put him into the car just to cause a media circus. I knew that they have previously analysed his abilities extensively at Toro Rosso."

Ricciardo added that a head-to-head comparison between Verstappen and his former team mate at Toro Rosso, Carlos Sainz, had also confirmed the youngster's clear potential beyond any reasonable doubt.

"I knew that he is fast, because Carlos is fast. I've known him a few years more than Max and they had a close fight," he pointed out. "These kids learn incredibly fast. Max is a potential champion of the future."

During his time at Toro Rosso Verstappen became known for refusing to follow team orders if he didn't agree with them. Ricciardo admitted that if this attitude was to continue now that Verstappen was at Red Bull then there might be problems ahead.

"If he really did ignore team orders and that damaged my race, I would not be happy. There would be discussions not only between the drivers but also at team level. Hopefully that won't necessary and the best driver wins."

That said, Ricciardo admitted that sometimes a Formula One driver needs to mark his territory and not allow himself to get walked over by other drivers. "It is not about harassing him, but you have to stake out your position," he agreed.

"Max and I push each other, and the team realise that," he added. "They are excited about us as a driver pairing. The competition is high, but he pushes the team in the right direction.

"I believe that we have 2017 world champion-winning car and I hope that this will be our next step.

"I am convinced that Red Bull will be the strongest challenger to Mercedes in the coming season and will compete for the title. The rule changes should we zoom bring you closer to them. Our people and resources will help us.

"That motivates especially people like Adrian Newey. If his work sorts out the aerodynamics, that's encouraging . They are making progress and always want more. This is a virtuous circle."

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