When Daniel Ricciardo called his teammate Max Verstappen a 'sore loser' during the 2017 F1 Hungarian GP

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen came together at the 2017 Hungarian GP, which led to a frustrated radio call from the Australian driver complaining about his teammate's erratic driving. Ricciardo had to retire from the race after the collision and called Verstappen a sore loser on the radio. Let's have a look at why the Australian was frustrated with his teammate.

Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull midway through the 2016 season, replacing Daniil Kvyat in the second Red Bull. Ricciardo was still the lead driver at the Milton Keynes-based team, but that was about to change with Verstappen's arrival. The Dutchman won his very first race for Red Bull and made it clear that he was at the team to become the No.1 driver and win the title.

The worst thing a driver can do at an F1 team is to collide with his teammate, and that's exactly what Max Verstappen did at the 2017 Hungarian GP. The now four-time F1 champion was known for his aggressive driving style and not giving an inch of breathing space to his competitors.

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen started the 2017 Hungarian GP on the third row, with the Dutchman getting a grand launch and passing the two Mercedes ahead of him into Turn 1. However, a poor exit from Vettel in P2 meant the Dutchman was boxed in, as he ran wide, whereas Ricciardo took the inside line, and passed a Mercedes and his teammate.

The collision happened in Turn 2, where Ricciardo and Verstappen went side by side into the corner. The Dutch driver locked up his tires while taking the inside line, ran wide, and collided with Ricciardo. The Australian driver suffered damage to the side pod and radiator and spun in Turn 3, ending his race.

The Aussie came on the radio and was frustrated after learning that his teammate had crashed into him. He said:

“If that's who I thought it is s***.” As the race engineer confirmed that it was Max Verstappen, he added, “F***, sore loser.”

After the race, Ricciardo was asked about his thoughts on the collision with Verstappen, as he responded:

“It's not like he was trying to pass, Valtteri was in front, I was on the outside, so there was no room. I don't think he likes when a teammate gets in front of him.”

While Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen had a relatively good relationship in 2016, things started changing in 2017. The Australian driver eventually left the team after the 2018 season and moved to Renault.

Max Verstappen reacts to Sergio Perez's recent claim that the Dutchman holds grudges

Sergio Perez recently appeared on the Desde El Paddock podcast and revealed that Max Verstappen held a grudge against him after the 2022 Monaco GP qualifying, during which the Mexican driver crashed in Q3 during the final run and took the pole position.

“Max is like that. He holds things in until he finally lets them out, usually on the track,” Perez said.

The Red Bull ace recently came out and reacted to Perez’s claims, as he said:

“No, but I also think how you word [the question] is not how he meant it. I have a great relationship with Checo, we were great team-mates and so I have a lot of respect for him, he has a lot of respect for me, and that is it from my side.”

The team asked Max Verstappen to let Sergio Perez through at the 2022 Brazilian GP to confirm a 1-2 drivers' standings finish for Red Bull, but the Dutchman refused to let the Mexican driver by.

Edited by Samya Majumdar