Daniel Ricciardo addresses Red Bull split and teaming with Max Verstappen again

Ricciardo returned this weekend at the F1 United States Grand Prix from injury, having returned to the grid full-time earlier this year with Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri.

His ultimate goal has always been a return to the top team, though, amid a crisis of confidence in Sergio Perez.

Ricciardo quit Red Bull to go to Renault as Verstappen’s brilliance starting coming to the fore, and in the wake of a clash between them in Baku in 2018.

“It would be different,” Ricciardo said to Sky about teaming with Verstappen again. 

“I think it’d be very different. Just from where we are both at in our careers.

“ I always stand by saying: ‘I don’t regret anything’. 

“At the time, of course, with everything that was going on? That was what I felt was the best situation for me.

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“Am I happy to be back? And am I happy to be back in that environment with the people that got me here? Absolutely!

“Things are different.”

Ricciardo opted to step away from F1 full-time after being axed by McLaren last year.

He spent time as Red Bull’s third driver earlier this year - predominantly featuring in the less rigorous marketing scheduling - before being called up by AlphaTauri to replace the underperforming Nyck de Vries.

Ricciardo explained how he is different after his break: “I’m just more mature. I also know this isn’t a matter of life and death. 

I put a lot into it but I’m also a little wiser.

“There’s a bit of a fear sometimes of retirement. You’ve had this one objective your whole life, you’ve woken up every day for the last 20 years to do something. 

“So when that goes? Okay, what? Who am I?’

“Fortunately, I felt like I was really happy as well on the sidelines.

“Do I believe I can still win races? Absolutely. Will I be a world champion one day? I would love to say yes but I honestly don’t know. 

“I can’t say that ‘yes, it’s definitely going to happen’.

“And if I ended up winning enough races which lead to a world title, then hell yeah!”