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Verstappen and Ricciardo give each other space: "That relationship helps"
At the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, it was tight in the battle between Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo at the start. Both men gave enough space and let each other continue without drama. According to Jan Lammers, this is also because the Formula 1 drivers drove for the same team for years.
"You actually expect that he will be able to catch up with Bottas, but then he suddenly finds Ricciardo next to him", Lammers analyses the start of Verstappen at NOS Studio Sport. The Red Bull driver fought a duel with his old teammate. "They just high-five each other after the race and say it was fun for those three or four laps."
A good relationship between Verstappen and Ricciardo
According to the former Formula 1 driver, it was also visible in the first lap that Verstappen and Ricciardo get along well. "They just get along well, you can see that with Ricciardo. The relationship between the men helps each other," he says. If the two men had been each other's greatest rivals, it would not necessarily have ended in a hit in Lammers' view. "I don't want to say that right away, but if you show a little respect, you get it back."
The Renaults, in particular, made an impression last weekend. "Renault was incredibly fast in the first sector uphill. The engine power must be good, but also the efficiency of the aerodynamics. You can see that these men are all learning from their losses. We can expect a lot from Ricciardo and Ocon in Italy." On Monza, just like on Spa-Francorchamps, there are many straights, so that you can drive with little downforce.