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Daniel Ricciardo calls Max Verstappen ‘ridiculous’ and offers blunt take on Yuki Tsunoda

Originally posted on HITC | By Ben Evans | Last updated Oct 21, 2025 11:05 AM ET

Daniel Ricciardo, always a fan favourite in the United States, closely followed the events in Austin.

The US Grand Prix turned out to be another ideal weekend for Red Bull, with Max Verstappen adding another victory to his tally and moving up to third place in the driver standings.

Ever since he finished second at the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen has been consistently strong. He has followed that up with wins at Monza and Azerbaijan, a second-place finish behind George Russell in Singapore, and now a commanding weekend in Austin.

Championship leader Oscar Piastri faced a challenging weekend, marked by a collision with Lando Norris in the Sprint Race. He was subsequently outperformed by his McLaren partner in both qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Yuki Tsunoda also scored points, finishing seventh, which helped narrow Red Bull’s gap to Ferrari and Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.

Ricciardo understands the immense pressure of being Verstappen’s teammate, a situation the Japanese driver at Red Bull is currently experiencing.

He gave his thoughts on Tsunoda’s performance in Austin, while also highlighting how ‘ridiculous’ Verstappen is as a driver. Ricciardo also took time to praise another standout performer from Sunday’s race.

Daniel Ricciardo comments on Yuki Tsunoda’s performance at US Grand Prix and Max Verstappen’s form

Photo by Jay Hirano/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Ricciardo was active in a WhatsApp group chat during the race, offering his take on how various drivers were performing.

Speaking about Verstappen early on, after he had pulled clear of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, the Australian joked: “Meanwhile, Max is contacting the restaurant about his steak cooked medium rare for later tonight.

“Haha, yeah, Max is ridiculous. Kid’s so good. Yes, I’m stating the obvious, I know.”

Later on in the race, he added via voice note: “I mean, Max is really keeping this championship even more exciting than it already was with Oscar and Lando.”

Ricciardo also spoke about Leclerc’s battle with Norris during the weekend and commented: “Charles still holding on is so impressive.”

Tsunoda finished seventh in both the Sprint Race and Sunday’s Grand Prix and Ricciardo took notice of that early form over both days: “Tsunoda’s had another good first few laps. Two days in a row, he’s coming through nicely.”

Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images

Daniel Ricciardo says a quick return to F1 would be tough for him

Earlier in the year, there was talk that Ricciardo might be on his way back to Formula 1.

He has not been involved with the sport since losing his seat at RB following last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, and has largely stayed away from the paddock.

But before Cadillac’s debut, there had been speculation about Ricciardo joining them.

Graeme Lowdon made it clear that Ricciardo was not a good fit for the team, citing his time away from the sport and lack of recent involvement as key reasons.

In a WhatsApp group chat, Ricciardo was asked about returning to racing and replied: “My neck ain’t so strong anymore, haha. No more neck training, thank the lord, haha, I hated that part.

“And the neck, it’s so intense that first sector.”

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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