Max Verstappen was fastest in Formula One testing on Wednesday, three days after he became the series’ youngest race victor at the Spanish Grand Prix.
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“Max Verstappen is the man of the future, but despite all the hype about his first victory, you have to say that Ricciardo is still the better overall package”.
After such a sizzling-hot debut, fans everywhere are looking at Verstappen to become the next Sebastian Vettel at the very least, with team principal Christian Horner even going on record saying there are “uncanny” similarities between the two. However, it was the two stop strategy used by teammate Verstappen that was to prove the quicker, allowing the youngster to take a historic maiden win.
Unable to pass Vettel in the closing stages of the race, Ricciardo was further hampered by a late puncture which necessitated another stop, though he was able to do this without losing fourth place.
A week later, and the popular Australian is still finding it hard to come to terms with the disappointment.
“If you’re quick enough you belong here and then as soon as you are you belong here and as long as you are you belong here so I don’t think it matters whether you’re 18 or…” “Is it easy to move on?” Can you move on?
“It’s been a few days since the race and I still wake up with it on my mind”. It will take a bit of time. Unfortunately he only raced until his thirties but I think he was there to race until his fifties.
Vettel finished third behind the Dutch driver and teammate Kimi Raikkonen and later joked: “I was hoping at some point to see a caravan trailing his auto and the yellow number plates, but unfortunately we weren’t on the autobahn so”.
“I feel there’s always been something better to have and available for me, so it’s now like, ‘Ah, come on, ‘” added Ricciardo.
The session gives Verstappen vital time in the RB12, having only completed one Grand Prix weekend in the auto since his move from Toro Rosso two weeks ago.
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“It’s a tough one”, he said.
