Ricciardo: The hype around Max and Lando is exaggerated

RB driver Daniel Ricciardo thinks the collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris attracted more attention because it was a battle for the lead. In the episode itself, Daniel saw nothing dangerous.

Daniel Ricciardo: “I suppose the hype around this story is a bit exaggerated, as it was a leadership battle. As the saying goes, ‘They were friends, but they became enemies.’ This is probably our case, but I can only guess.

When you’re fighting for victory, you don’t wave your hand at someone and say, “Go ahead.” I think that in nine cases out of ten, such contact would have been without consequences.

I think the consequences were greater than the incident itself that took place on the highway. At least what I saw didn’t seem exaggerated. Was there anything dangerous or reckless about what happened? At least from what I saw, no.

When you’re aiming for victory, you fight differently on the track than when you’re fighting for fifteenth place. So something like that was to be expected. I won’t say whether the fight was according to the rules, whether everything was done correctly, but all these conversations started just because these two were fighting for victory.

“Honestly, I think it’s good when there’s such a fierce battle for leadership. It’s a shame it ended like this, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”