Why Daniel Ricciardo Thinks Max Verstappen Should ‘Massage’ His F1 Car

Max Verstappen, at just 19 years old, already has established himself as one of the most aggressive drivers in Formula One. But his Red Bull Racing teammate thinks the teenager could benefit from dialing it back once and a while to show his car some love.

Daniel Ricciardo told reporters after the Belgian Grand Prix that he likes to partake in “something like” foreplay with his RB13 during races, and that’s why he rarely has mechanical issues. He added that  “Max is young, he’s aggressive, he goes straight in” and that likely has contributed to his reliability issues.

” … I do a lot of things with my driving style, which are very nice to the car,” Ricciardo said. “I actually talk to it a lot during the race. I massage it.”

Some people who follow F1 suggest that Verstappen’s issues can be chalked up to karmic retribution for Red Bull tempting fate ahead of the 2017 season. The “Honey Badger” might be onto something, however.

Considering every car — be it for the road or the track — has its own, often temperamental personality, giving his car some TLC might make it more cooperative. We wouldn’t advice him to know his racer as well as Ricciardo knows his own, though, as we’re pretty sure that type of relationship is illegal.

Thumbnail photo via Red Bull Racing