'We're not Lewis and Nico yet but I hope we can be in that position'
Tuesday 21 March 2017 18:11, UK
Daniel Ricciardo has admitted it may be a good thing if his relationship with Max Verstappen deteriorates as it should mean they are fighting for the drivers' championship.
The pair's rivalry at Red Bull is one of the mouth-watering plots ahead of the new season with their RB13 car predicted to be a key challenger to Mercedes' recent dominance of F1 under the sport's new regulations.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's once close relationship deteriorated during the three years they were battling each other for the title. The national press cited the pressure of competing against Hamilton as a reason behind world champion Rosberg's shock retirement at the end of last season.
Ricciardo and Verstappen are widely considered the strongest driver line-up on the grid and the Australian believes they will be close to achieving their goals if tension develops between them.
"We're not Lewis and Nico yet but I hope we can be in that position, because we would both absolutely love to get to a point like that, where we're fighting," Ricciardo told F1 Racing magazine.
"When we are, that basically means we're doing what we want to and reaching what we want to achieve in the sport, so it's hard to predict or anticipate what will happen, but I think that would be a nice position to be in.
"Anything else… I think that's a bridge we'll cross when we get there."
Verstappen replaced Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull from last year's Spanish Grand Prix and his relationship with Ricciardo remained largely harmonious, with the pair saying they were pushing each other to new heights.
Their fierce battle in Malaysia last October gave a glimpse of what may come this season but Verstappen does not foresee any problems emerging.
"The most important thing is that you need to respect each other, on and off track," Verstappen said.
"So far we have been doing that pretty well. Even that fight in Malaysia - fighting for a victory - if we can race like that, it would be amazing. For sure, if you fight for a world championship, you can be a bit more nervous, but I think that's pretty normal.
"When you are in a fight, you know pretty well when you are about to crash or not, so it shouldn't cause any problems."
Ricciardo is also hopeful that the battle for the world championships will be tighter with the greater shift towards aerodynamics in 2017.
Mercedes have rarely been pressured since 2014 but winter testing suggested the Silver Arrows may not have the fastest car heading to the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff acknowledged on Monday that Red Bull and Ferrari had closed the gap at the front and Ricciardo believes it will be more rewarding for both fans and drivers.
"For the fans, it would be great to have two teams fighting for a title as opposed to one," Ricciardo said.
"And if we're in that position, it would be cooler if it's me, Max, Lewis and maybe Valtteri (Bottas) fighting, as opposed to just me and Max.
"It creates more of a challenge and it's more rewarding as well, if you win. For the past few years, sure, Lewis and Nico have won world titles but they've won them against each other. They haven't beaten 20 of us."
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