Daniel Ricciardo named Max Verstappen’s team-mate in Dutch GP mix-up

It seems F1 journalists around the world weren’t the only ones expecting a change in Red Bull’s line-up at the Dutch GP with the race’s official app naming Daniel Ricciardo as “Verstappen’s team-mate”.

All the talk in the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix, the final race before Formula 1’s summer break, was about Red Bull reconsidering their line-up amidst Sergio Perez’s ongoing struggles.

Daniel Ricciardo to Red Bull? The Dutch GP app thought it was a given

But even though he dropped from second on the grid to seventh at the chequered flag at Spa, and was once again beaten by Max Verstappen despite the Dutchman starting nine places behind him, Red Bull made the call to retain Perez.

“Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver, despite all the speculation of late,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner announced after what had been billed as a crunch meeting to discuss the way forward.

“We’re looking forward to seeing him perform at circuits where he’s done well before, after the summer break.”

Pundits were left perplexed with multiple warnings to Red Bull that their decision may have just cost them the Constructors’ Championship.

It was a decision that caught many people off guard, including the Dutch Grand Prix’s official app who clearly believed it would be VCARB’s Ricciardo would be in the car alongside Verstappen for the Dutch driver’s home race.

More on Red Bull’s decision to continue with Sergio Perez

👉 Sergio Perez: What changed in the 24 hours after the Belgian Grand Prix?

👉 Perez v Ricciardo uncovered: The data behind Red Bull’s big driver decision

“The self-styled Honey Badger is cuddly on the outside by fierce on the inside,” read the app’s description of Ricciardo.

“Behind Ricciardo’s laidback demeanor and wide smile lies a razor-sharp racer with grit. Ricciardo is a formidable competitor, with podium finishes and races wins at Red Bull.

“A brief stint at Renault and McLaren followed, but didn’t yield a title. after a short break he returned to Red Bull, showcasing his speed again at AlphaTauri, now RB.”

And then came the misstep…

“As Verstappen’s teammate, he continues to strive for success.”

Oops.

Alas, that wasn’t the first misstep when it came to Verstappen and “team-mates” with former F1 driver Karun Chandhok apologising to Perez’s fans for his team-mate comment .

Speaking during the Goodwood Festival of Speed about the prospects of taking part in the RAC Tourist Trophy, Verstappen told Chandhok that he’d be up for doing it: “Maybe together with Daniel, it’d be good fun in one car.”

“Oh, you two could be team-mates!” Chandhok replied before the camera zoomed out to show Sergio Perez standing right beside the duo and doing his best to maintain his smile.

Facing a backlash from Perez’s fans, Chandhok took to social media to say: “To all the fans of Sergio Perez. I apologise if you felt I was being disrespectful to Checo [Perez] during the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

“If you watch the full video instead of just the small edit that seems to be online, you will see that we are talking about Goodwood Revival and NOT F1.

“The Revival is a fun event and the level of trolling and abuse in the last days from Checo’s fans who have not understood the full story is a real shame.

“I hope this clears up the matter.”

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