Daniel Ricciardo admits he is expecting a more tense relationship with Max Verstappen in 2017.
The Red Bull duo are enjoying a competitive but respectful partnership after becoming teammates at the Spanish Grand Prix and have had some entertaining on track battles, most notably in Malaysia.
But with the prospect of fighting for wins and potentially the championship next season, as new rules offer the best opportunity to catch Mercedes, the Australian is under no illusions of what could lie ahead.
“Well, I’m not naïve,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.
“If we’re fighting for wins I’m sure the pressure and tension will rise – but hopefully we’ll be able to look each other in the eye and say ‘good job’ afterwards.”
After Nico Rosberg’s decision to retire after becoming world champion, many are pointing to Red Bull as having the best all-around line-up on the grid for next year.
And while Verstappen has previously said that Ricciardo is the one driver he does respect when going wheel-to-wheel, with the potential for a much greater reward for being the top dog at Red Bull in 2017, it will be interesting to see if the Dutchman maintains that position.
Certainly, we can expect much more freedom in the battle between Ricciardo and Verstappen than we’ve seen at Mercedes, as Red Bull are known to allow their drivers to race freely in most circumstances.
The past couple of years has seen greater cooperation between teammates, whether it be Vettel/ Ricciardo, Ricciardo/ Kvyat or Ricciardo/ Verstappen, as the Milton Keynes-based squad have tried everything to disrupt Mercedes’ stranglehold at the front.
However, with the expectation of a season-long battle for the title against the Silver Arrows and between his drivers, team boss Christian Horner may find it harder to maintain the same harmony.
Greater tension between teammates would be nothing new to Red Bull neither, after the well-documented breakdown between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber during the championship-winning years between 2010-2013.
Of course, all this depends on whether Red Bull really can challenge Mercedes in 2017. While Ricciardo has previously said the Brackley-based team are favourites, the ‘honey badger’ is still optimistic Red Bull can make the most of the new rules.
“I honestly think it’s a good thing for us,” he said. “It seems to put more emphasis on aerodynamics and I have a lot of faith in our aerodynamics department. It’s out strong suit.
“From that point of view I don’t think it can hurt us. Also, I think the cars are going to look pretty bad-ass. Mean, wider tyres, more muscular. Grrrrrr…”
I think he’s quietly excited…
