"I wouldn't call it foreplay": When Daniel Ricciardo shared a vivid description of his driving style compared to Max Verstappen

Daniel Ricciardo once had a hilarious description of his relationship with his car. He said that he is soft on his car and compared it to Max Verstappen, saying the latter has an aggressive driving style.

Red Bull Racing once had a strong driver's pairing in 2017 with Ricciardo and Verstappen on board. The duo were fierce and often raced wheel-to-wheel without worrying about the team orders.

While Verstappen was young, practically a teenager, Ricciardo was a promising talent who had proved his worth as the Bull's number one driver. Meanwhile, during the 2017 Belgium Grand Prix, Ricciardo compared his driving style to his teammate, Verstappen, using a hilarious analogy that ignited a laughter riot.

While explaining his driving style, the Aussie said:

"My driving style is very nice to the car. I actually talk to it a lot. During the race, I massage it. I wouldn't call it foreplay, but it's something like that."

However, the conversation turned hilarious when Daniel Ricciardo compared his driving mindset to his teammate Max Verstappen's.

"Max is young, and he's aggressive. He goes straight in," Ricciardo added.

Max Verstappen has always been a ruthless driver when it comes to racing in Formula 1. His grit and determined mindset won him four back-to-back titles from 2021 to 2024.

Meanwhile, Ricciardo slowly faded away from F1 despite a promising start to his career in Red Bull. He moved away from the Bulls in 2019 and joined Renault. However, the stint didn't work out before the Australian driver tried his hand at McLaren.

That decision also turned out to be underwhelming as he saw himself out of the team in two years. He eventually had to return to Red Bull in 2023 as a reserve driver.

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Will Daniel Ricciardo race in 2025?

Daniel Ricciardo (Image Source: Getty)

Daniel Ricciardo rejoined Red Bull in 2023 as a reserve driver, ending his painful stint with McLaren. However, he was moved to sister team AlphaTauri (now known as Racing Bulls) for an opportunity to prove himself and stake a claim at the Red Bull seat.

However, the Australian driver sustained a wrist injury, which prompted the promotion of rookie Liam Lawson. Lawson ended up impressing the Bulls, and even though they retained Ricciardo for the 2024 season, he was sacked following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

For now, Ricciardo will not be participating in the 2025 season. He has left Red Bull after they replaced him with Lawson. Moreover, the New Zealander got promoted to the Bulls, replacing Sergio Perez, whereas F2 championship runners up, Isack Hadjar will team up with Yuki Tsunoda in the Racing Bulls.

While Daniel Ricciardo was also linked to the upcoming 11th team, Cadillac, the rumors haven't been confirmed by either the driver or the team.