Former Red Bull F1 mechanic Calum Nicholas has spoken about the party exploits of both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
Verstappen and Ricciardo were team-mates between 2016-2018 and shared a good relationship, on show when Ricciardo rejoined the Red Bull family in 2023.
Following Ricciardo’s departure from Red Bull’s sister team midway through the 2024 season, the Australian has been promoting a number of his businesses on social media, as well as joking around with four-time world champion Verstappen.
While Ricciardo opted to leave Red Bull back in 2018, Verstappen and the Aussie were regularly seen together during race weekends, as well as during breaks from the cut and thrust of F1.
Now, Nicholas, who left his role as Verstappen’s long-serving mechanic at the end of 2024 and instead became a Red Bull ambassador, has revealed that the iconic pair are the party kings of F1.
Asked by YouTuber Lucas Stewart who parties the hardest out of all F1 drivers he’s worked with, Nicholas said: “It’s between Max and Daniel, but I couldn’t really split them.”
Will Ricciardo ever return to F1?
While Verstappen has continued to enjoy great success in the sport, Ricciardo’s F1 career now appears to be over.
The 35-year-old was axed last September from Racing Bulls following a dismal 2024 season, the second time in the last three years that he has been sacked by an F1 team.
While Ricciardo has been linked multiple times with a return to F1, the Australian recently said he was ‘done’ with F1, and has also been rumoured to be joining a different racing series, including the Supercars Championship and NASCAR.
It means that – although his retirement has not been officially announced – Ricciardo has likely finished his F1 career with eight grand prix victories and 32 podiums, the fan favourite remembered for some iconic moments, including the aftermath of his 2018 Monaco GP win.
Ricciardo swan dived into the swimming pool at Monaco after that stunning victory, and was seen celebrating hard in the aftermath, perhaps leading to Nicholas’ valuation of the Australian.
