Daniel Ricciardo backs Max Verstappen to become a world champion

Daniel Ricciardo believes that his former Red Bull Racing teammate, Max Verstappen, has the talent and ability to become a world champion in the future. Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Ricciardo opened up on how far he thinks the Dutch racer could go. 

Verstappen joined Red Bull during the 2016 season and was a very inexperienced F1 driver. Ricciardo hopes that he helped the youngster settle in and show him how to race. 

"He certainly grew during that time," Ricciardo said. "I was with the team for longer and I had more experience, so I 'hope' he also learned something from me."

Ricciardo thinks that Verstappen's progress has been clear to see. 

"You see it in him too. He is less erratic than at the beginning. He has become more mature and has now found his place. Whether I contributed to that? It doesn't really matter."

The Renault driver thinks that Verstappen can be a world champion. 

"He has the talent anyway," Ricciardo said. "Can he cope with the pressure, the environment and expectations? You can also think about everything and get tired. The result is that you may be less focused on the job."

Many believe that it is only a matter of time before Verstappen wins a world championship and Red Bull will hope that they can seriously compete next season.