Daniel Ricciardo has strongly disagreed with claims that his former team-mate Max Verstappen is not a worthy World Champion based on the controversial ending to the 2021 season. On a serious note, Ricciardo says he was not surprised to see Verstappen eventually win the title given the close battles he was involved in with the Dutchman. ‘I knew that, whilst we were teammates, [even though] we weren’t World Champion[s], I felt like, [with] the way we were driving, [it] could have given us the world title, in some of those years. ‘But I didn’t really need to see him win the title to show that to myself.

Follow MotorMouth on social media:

• 
• 
• 
•