F1 Hungarian Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo reunites with Max Verstappen

A couple of years after tension played a part in their break-up, Daniel Ricciardo was smiling again alongside Max Verstappen in Hungary.

Daniel Ricciardo put rivalries aside at the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix as he hitched a lift with former teammate Max Verstappen.

The pair’s competitive relationship as Red Bull comrades — and a perceived favouritism towards the Dutchman — was widely reported as one of the reasons Ricciardo quit at the end of 2018 to join Renault but they were all smiles after the year’s third race in Budapest.

Both drivers uploaded a happy snap to Instagram sitting next to each other in a plane on the way back to Monaco, where they both live. Ricciardo captioned his photo “Uber pool” while Verstappen wrote he was “giving my old mate a ride home”.

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Lewis Hamilton won in Hungary while Ricciardo finished eighth and Verstappen miraculously crossed the line second after a pre-race crash left his team scrambling to repair damage to his front wing and suspension just minutes before lights out.

“Overall, I’m happy with how it went,” Ricciardo told F1.com. “I gave everything I could and I felt we got the most from it today.

“We’ve had eighth in every race so far. It’s not bad, but I do feel we have the speed for more from the first three races.

“We’re not far from top-six finishes, it’s coming, and we know bigger points are around the corner.”

The Aussie had some fun with Sky Sports commentator Ted Kravitz at the Hungaroring, chasing the analyst as he patrolled the paddock with a microphone. Knowing he can’t get too close to the drivers because of COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, Kravitz warned “two metres, two metres” as Ricciardo edged closer.

The Renault driver then started chasing Kravitz and the media figure tried to run away, yelling: “Nooo! No! Covid! I’ll get done.”

He then took a crack at the size of Ricciardo’s nose, referencing how coronavirus tests are done.

Kravitz: “Does the swab go more easily up your nose than other people?”

Ricciardo: “Are you being a bit of a prick right now?”

Kravitz: “Sorry ladies and gentlemen, I knew that’s where it was going to go.”

Ricciardo: “It still hurts.”

WATCH THIS FUNNY EXCHANGE IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE

Ricciardo failed to finish the first race of the year with a radiator issue and at the following Styrian Grand Prix his teammate Esteban Ocon retired because of the same problem.

Fortunately for Renault, both drivers managed to finish for the first time in 2020 but Ocon will be hoping to improve on his 14th placing next time he gets behind the wheel.

Hamilton and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas (third) extended the Silver Arrows’ lead in the constructors’ standings while Verstappen’s Red Bull is second, with McLaren — who Ricciardo will drive for in 2021 — in third.

Renault is sixth, one spot behind Ferrari, who had a shocker in Hungary as Sebastian Vettel (sixth) and Charles Leclerc (11th) drifted down the field.

Verstappen recovered from a pre-race disaster.

Verstappen was proud to even get on the grid, let alone earn a spot on the podium, after sliding into the barriers on his parade lap before the race.

“It was incredible to even start the race,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.

“After I hit the wall I thought that was it. To get out there, we had a really good start, and come home in second was like a victory for us. I definitely didn’t expect to be second today.

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“It was not how I wanted in the beginning of course, ending up in the barriers, a bit of a lack of grip — but the mechanics did an amazing job to fix the car. I don’t know how they did it, incredible.

“To pay them back with the second place, I’m very pleased with that.

“We just kept doing our own thing and of course splitting the Mercedes is good for us.”

The next race is the British Grand Prix on August 2.