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Daniel Ricciardo is not surprised by the success former team-mate Max Verstappen has enjoyed in Formula 1.
On Sunday, Verstappen clinched his second world drivers’ championship, his second in as many years after edging out Lewis Hamilton to the crown last season.
Victory in Japan was the 12th of the season for the Dutchman, and the 32nd in a career that started with Toro Rosso in 2015.
His first win came in Spain the following year when he was elevated to Red Bull’s senior team alongside Ricciardo.
“It’s always hard to predict who will be a world champion,” the Australian told media, including Speedcafe.com, when asked about the success Verstappen has enjoyed.
“I think you can recognise the drivers that have the talent to do it, so I recognised that in the right car he will definitely have a chance to be world champion, I saw that in his future.
“There’s no guarantee, but I certainly saw that, especially because he was still young.
“I’m not surprised he’s in this position,” he added.
“So ultimately, yes. Is it like even now predicting will this be his second of five, or his second of only three? It’s hard to know because again, you need the team and the package.”
Verstappen entered Formula 1 as its youngest driver to ever start a world championship race and is the youngest ever race winner in history – a record that looks never to be beaten as minimum age rules have since been introduced.
However, his early career was not smooth sailing, and his aggressive style drew criticisms, which persisted even into his 2021 championship campaign.
According to Ricciardo, the real turning point for Verstappen came in 2018.
“I think it’s the way it’s gone. I mean, he definitely took a step in, I think it was the last year I was with him in 2018,” he said.
“[The] first five or six races he was in the wall a lot, or having incidents or making mistakes, mostly on his behalf.
“And then through that year, it’s like he just had a bit of a self-realisation and a step of maturity, which is also natural, we all go through it.
“I honestly think from the middle of that season on he became a more complete driver. And obviously, last year, when you’re fighting for a title, naturally you’re going to push the boundaries a bit more.
“The fight with him and Lewis was controversial because it was also Mercedes versus Red Bull, so there was a lot of intensity around that.
“I think this year it’s been less tense as a battle, and therefore he probably hasn’t needed to put himself in that position as well.”
It was a slow start to the season for Verstappen, who retired from two of the opening three rounds.
He then won the next three, finished third in Monaco, and won again in Azerbaijan and Canada. From France, he won five in a row and has never finished a race outside the points.
With four races remaining in 2022, Verstappen holds an insurmountable 112-point advantage over Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez who are tried on points for second, with a maximum of 111 left on the table.
He becomes just the 11th driver to win back-to-back world championships, and should he win another race this year he would tie Mick Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013) for the most race wins in a single season at 13.
