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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during Formula One winter testing.
MAX Verstappen has described the mutual “respect” he and Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo share, but admits their relationship will be tested if they start fighting for more victories this year.
The teenage ace is entering his first full season with Red Bull, starting at this week’s Australian Grand Prix, after being promoted to the team alongside Ricciardo after four races last year to replace Russian Daniil Kvyat.
Verstappen and Ricciardo were the only drivers to take race wins away from the dominant Mercedes pairing of now retired champion Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton last year.
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The young Dutchman said he and Ricciardo shared a strong and open working relationship in the Red Bull garage and he expected both drivers to push each other on track even more this season.
“I think we push each other forward and I think that’s always positive,’’ Verstappen said.
“We are not trying to hide stuff from each other, we are very open and share all the information we get from the car and in the end that is better for the team as well so they are very happy with it.
Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo relax ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.Source:AFP
“Daniel is a very good driver, he is very experienced, he’s had some great results already as well. It’s fun working with him and learning from his experiences in the team because he’s been with the team a bit longer than me.
“He is a very relaxed guy, a very open guy. It’s just good to be around him.
“Of course, when you start to maybe fight more often for victories, it can always be a bit more tense, but I think we have a lot of respect for each other and that’s very important.’’
Regarded as the hottest young talent on the Formula One grid, Verstappen made an immediate impact when he joined Red Bull, winning his first race with the team at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.
The 19-year-old completed an impressive season, in which he claimed six more podiums, by finishing fifth in the drivers’ championship.
But Verstappen was hesitant to make any predictions about what he could achieve in 2017 until he had a clear picture of where the Red Bulls stacked up against the opposition in Melbourne.
Max Verstappen in action during Formula One winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya.Source:Getty Images
“I have no expectations for the moment. Just wait and see until when we are in Melbourne on Saturday for qualifying and then we’ll see where we end up,’’ Verstappen said.
“Then definitely the first four races we need to understand how good we are, where we are and I think then I can set my goals a bit more for the season, but at the moment I have decided to set no goals.’’
Verstappen could not wait to attack the Albert Park circuit in the new 2017-model cars, which have been revamped with wider chassis, tyres and wings as part of a major rules overhaul.
“They are a lot more fun to drive, a lot more aggressive,’’ Verstappen said.
“(They’re) a lot faster through the corners, which I think drivers always like and there is just more grip in general. You’re not sliding around that much. It’s just better.’’
He was hopeful Red Bull would be able to extract more pace from its Renault engine through the season to close the gap on the pacesetting Mercedes.
“I think definitely they (Renault) improved, absolutely, how good they will be it’s still too early to say,’’ Verstappen said.
“I’m confident they will come a bit better and hopefully we can close the gap slowly to Mercedes at the end of the year. They are working hard so that is always positive.’’
Originally published as Ricciardo has respect to the Max
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