Daniel Ricciardo, with his outgoing personality, is known to get along with all the drivers on the Formula 1 grid.
However, fans are yet to see a significant moment between the Australian and Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. This raises the question of whether the two are friends off-track.
In a video of an interview with school kids, Bottas opened up about his relationship with Ricciardo.
Mercedes F1 posted the video on the internet where school kids had some interesting questions for the Finn.
One question that was asked was about the Honey Badger – “Are you friends with Daniel Ricciardo?”
What answer did Bottas give to the kids?
The nine-time Grand Prix winner spoke about his relationship with Ricciardo off-the-track. He, however, claimed that it was not that special to call it a friendship.
The Finn discussed his on-track rivalry with the Australian dating back to 2008 when he drove alongside him in Formula Renault.
“Kind of yeah. I mean, I’m fine with him. I’ve never really spent time with him off-the-track. We’ve obviously battled a lot during F1,” he said.
“And we actually raced in Formula Renault together against each other in 2008. And I beat him that year for the title. But he’s good fun,” Bottas added.
Comparing Bottas and Ricciardo
One fact that most are unaware of is that Bottas and Ricciardo had a prominent rivalry during their early racing days. This began at the Formula Renault 2.0 2008.
The two had raced each other on some of the most significant circuits in Europe including Spa, Silverstone, Hungaroring, Nurburgring, and Barcelona.
Out of the 14 rounds in the season, Ricciardo won six while Bottas won five.
The rivalry between the two came down to the final round of the season in Spain. Their victory was shared after the first round went to Bottas while the second went to Ricciardo.
However, Bottas beat the Australian by just three points and won the title that season.
The two parted ways after that season as Bottas went to the Formula Three Euroseries while Ricciardo decided to go for the British championship.
Then, in 2013, the two found themselves competing in Formula 1 where they have been present ever since.
Will the two reignite their rivalry? Let us know in the comments below!
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