Verstappen garnered headlines after he and Lando Norris clashed in the closing stages at the Red Bull Ring while scrapping for the race lead.
Contact between the pair saw both pick up punctures, damage which eliminated Norris and saw Verstappen fall from the lead to fifth.
The Dutchman was penalised for his part in the clash with questions being raised over the aggression with which he defended his McLaren rival’s attack.
However, Ricciardo suggested criticism levelled at the three-time world champion was unfair.
“When you’re fighting for a win, you fight for a win. Are you going to fight harder than 15th place? Honestly, yes. Because it’s just how it is,” the Australian explained.
“I think it’s to be expected. And I’m not saying okay, whether everything was correct and by the book, yeah maybe some things were pushing it.
“They’re going to talk about it because it’s for the win.
“They’ll probably try and create some enemies out of two kids that get along.
“I think honestly, it’s good that there’s a hard battle for the lead. Unfortunate it ended that way for them, but that’s how it goes.”
Ricciardo also reasoned that the outcome of the incident led to it being overblown.
Verstappen and Norris made comparatively light, wheel-to-wheel contact on the approach to Turn 3, damaging the rear wheels on both cars.
Given the ferocity of the battle, it was innocuous, albeit with significant consequences.
“I think the contact, that can happen probably nine times out of 10 with no consequence,” Ricciardo reasoned.
“I think the outcome was probably bigger than what was actually happening on track.
“What I saw at least, nothing seemed over the top. Was it pushing the edge? Probably. But was anything dangerous or reckless? At least from what I’ve seen, no.”
The clash has been viewed as the opening salvo in a potential championship fight.
While Verstappen is known to be a hard, aggressive racer, it was an opportunity for Norris to demonstrate that he wouldn’t concede easily.
“No-one in this sport wants to be the one that gets bullied,” Ricciardo observed.
“You want to stand your ground against everyone. Obviously it’s your reputation as well.
“When people come up to you on-track, you don’t want them to think oh this guy’s going to be an easy one for me, so you always want to have your elbows out to an extent.
“We know Max from day one has always had his out, and I think just naturally his DNA, he just is a tough racer.
“It’s not something he has to really dig deep for. That’s just how he races. You know it’s kind of unconditional with him, that you’re going to get a tough battle.
“It doesn’t necessarily maybe change the way you race him, you just know you’re going to have to pull off a really good move and make it stick, and I think Lando learned that on Saturday.
“He thought he probably had it done, and Max said no, not today You live and you learn.
“Lando made some bold moves on Sunday, and had his elbows out too. Unfortunate that I think the outcome was what it was.”
Ricciardo also argued that Verstappen wasn’t overly aggressive in his defence, amid claims his title fight with Lewis Hamilton in 2021 instilled some unsavoury tactics.
“I think referencing something a few years ago… look, it sounds like people are probably hammering Max a bit,” the eight-time winner argued.
“It sounds like it’s probably blown a little bit out of proportion.
“I say he’s unchanged. When I say he’s unchanged, I think it’s the way he goes racing, obviously leaves it all out on the track, and that’s what a lot of fans have admired about him.
“But do I think he matured since the start of his career? Absolutely. It’s not like he’s finding himself in these positions all the time.
“I don’t think it needs any real addressing at the moment. Maybe the drivers’ briefing tomorrow, I’ll hear otherwise, but yeah, as I said, you’re fighting for a win.
“It was unfortunate. I don’t think the incident they had was dangerous. It was fairly low speed and that, it wasn’t a Turn 9 situation here at Copse in ’21, that obviously had a lot bigger consequence.
“Look, if this goes on the next few races, and this is like ‘Oh wow’, okay, [but] I’m not sure if one race is enough to create a narrative of ‘Oh, nothing’s changed’, kind of thing.”
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