‘Had his day’: Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo sideswiped by Dutch great

A Dutch motorsports icon has taken a subtle swipe at Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo ahead of the 2021 season.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia.

Dutch motorsports icon Tom Coronel has taken a subtle swipe at Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo ahead of the 2021 season.

Ricciardo is preparing for his maiden season with McLaren following a two-year stint at Renault, where he secured two podiums.

But the 31-year-old found the most success during his time as a Red Bull driver, where he paired with Dutch young gun Max Verstappen.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

The duo enjoyed a fierce rivalry on the track, but remained close mates throughout their three years together at Red Bull.

Christian Horner’s team struggled to find a worthy replacement for Ricciardo after the Aussie left the team in 2018, with Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon failing to prove their worth.

F1 veteran Sergio Perez will partner with Verstappen in 2021, and Coronel has boldly claimed the Mexican is “the strongest teammate Max has ever had”.

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen.

“I think that Perez will succeed.” Coronel told Dutch website formule1.nl.

“Daniel Ricciardo was also sometimes ahead of Max in qualifying and if he can, Perez can too. Ricciardo has had its day, Perez is still growing.

“He also has the necessary experience, eh. Look, Max doesn’t need outside pressure, he already has an enormous urge to assert himself.

“He knows the team, the car, the people at Red Bull. There is only one who takes risks, and that is Perez.

“If he sits in front of Max a few times, he’s the star. But if he is always far behind, his career is over.”

Perez claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory last season, crossing the line first at the Sakhir Grand Prix in December.

Representing Racing Point, the 31-year-old finished fourth on the Drivers’ Championship standings in 2020, but in a shock move was dropped for the legendary Sebastian Vettel.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia.

Speaking to his new teammate on the Talking Bull podcast, Perez asked Verstappen which driver on the paddock would come to his aid if the Dutchman were drowning.

“There’s not many people I think you can depend on,” Verstappen replied with a smirk.

“I think a lot of them would try to drown me.”

Perez responded: “You can call me. I’ll try to save you.”

Verstappen said: “Daniel Ricciardo for sure, but I think with Daniel we would probably drown together while he tries to save me.

“I think always stick within the team, that’s the safest option.”

The 2021 F1 season commences on Sunday, March 28th with the Bahrain Grand Prix.