Credits: IMAGO HochZwei

Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were an iconic duo back in the day when they were Red Bull teammates. Since the Honey Badger finds himself back in the Red Bull family, the spotlight has once again fallen onto the “Maxiel Bromance”. Ahead of this weekend’s 2024 Australian GP, Ricciardo and Verstappen were being interviewed by Australian talk show – The Project. When the host asked Ricciardo where would his ideal date with Verstappen be in Australia, the three-time world champion chimed in with a response before the #3 driver could even answer.

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When asked the question, Ricciardo hilariously quipped, “A friendly date! People are going to get the wrong idea.” As soon as Ricciardo started to think about the perfect venue, Verstappen interjected and suggested they could visit the 34-year-old’s family farm in Western Australia.

Ricciardo was completely on board with the 26-year-old’s suggestion as he even chalked out an itinerary that included riding “Honda, little 110cc dirtbikes.” Verstappen and Ricciardo’s friendship began when the duo became teammates in 2016. Since then, they’ve had a strong relationship, both on and off the track.

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Even when Ricciardo left the team for Renault at the end of the 2018 season, they kept up their camaraderie. Moreover, when Red Bull announced that the Australian was returning to the family with AlphaTauri (now V-CARB), The Athletic quoted Verstappen as saying, “I never actually wanted him to leave!”

Can Daniel Ricciardo reunite with Max Verstappen at Red Bull?

Daniel Ricciardo returned to AlphaTauri last year with just one objective in mind, and that was to audition himself for the seat at Red Bull sometime in the future. However, after the first two races of the 2024 season, the pressure is already piling up on the Australian.

Last year, as Sergio Perez struggled to keep pace with Verstappen in the all-conquering RB19, the team thought it fit to put Ricciardo in the second AlphaTauri seat in mid-season as an audition. But while Ricciardo impressed the team in the handful of races he did last year, 2024 has been a completely opposite story so far.

Perez has gone on to seal two consecutive 1-2s for the team and is currently second in the Driver’s Standings. On the other hand, Ricciardo has had a torrid start to the season which was marked by a late-race spin at the Saudi Arabian GP that ruined his race. The #3 driver is currently only 16th in the Driver’s Standings and has still not scored a point yet.

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As a result of Ricciardo’s current poor form, there are also speculations that he could lose his current seat with V-CARB. If so, this could mark the end of the Honey Badger’s F1 career.