F1 | Ricciardo: “I admire Valentino Rossi and how he deals with young drivers”

The way of behaving Valentino Rossi, A large MotoGP champion who at 38 years old, after more than 20 years in this sport, manages to always face young drivers with great professionalism and tenacity, is something of great inspiration and a lot of admiration for Daniel Ricardo. The Australian, in fact, equally believes that working with a very young man like Max Verstappen is of great help not only on a professional but also on a human level. And seeing how the Italian behaves with the younger ones is an example for Daniel to follow.

“I have never been in this situation before, in the past I was always the youngest driver on the team, both in terms of age and media hype; my situation now is a bit like the one Vettel was in when I arrived at Red Bull. I think that Verstappen has more pressure than me. I believe this is what Valentino Rossi has also faced in the last ten years. And there are two different ways to deal with this situation. Either let them have all the media attention or face them. And this helps you, the important thing is not to feel sorry for yourself and try to improve over time, just like Valentino did,” Ricciardo told Autosport.

What leaves Daniel speechless is precisely the way that Valentino Rossi has to deal with those who are not only the youngest riders in terms of age but also precisely as school. Una new generation of a driver who grows differently compared to what was the "rough test" that other drivers of the recent past had to face: "The kids nowadays manage to constantly improve and Rossi has found a way to evolve together with them. That's why I'm critical,” the Australian continued.

In formula 1 experience counts a lot: and even if it is true that many young drivers - just look at Stroll or Vandoorne or Verstappen himself - arrive very young in F1 without all the steps that once seemed to be obligatory, in this sport the more you know and the more you ran, the better your performance. Because you can make decisions in a shorter period of time than others and in Formula 1 time is everything. On the other hand, however, sometimes you need a bit of risk and a sixth sense to find the best. And this is a gift that obviously resides in all very young people: “Sometimes you should concentrate and face the problem. Sometimes, instead, trusting your sixth sense and your immediate sensations,” concluded Ricciardo.

Fabiola Granier