After being dropped by McLaren for Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo found himself off the grid for the first time since his debut with HRT in 2011.<\/p>\n
However, Red Bull<\/a> team principal Christian Horner called on Ricciardo to return with AlphaTauri<\/a> after Nyck de Vries failed to impress.<\/p>\n STARTSWINSPOLESPODIUMSFASTEST LAPSPOINTSBEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH2578332171,3293rd (2014,2016)Daniel Ricciardo\u2019s Formula 1 career stats<\/p>\n That meant Ricciardo joining Yuki Tsunoda<\/a>, who was in his third season with Red Bull\u2019s second team.<\/p>\n The pair formed a brilliant relationship, and after Pierre Gasly moved to Alpine, the Japanese driver was once again paired with a driver who matched his energy levels.<\/p>\n Ricciardo lost his seat last season after the Singapore Grand Prix to Liam Lawson<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, in a recent interview, Tsunoda has shown just how important Ricciardo was to his development.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda\u2019s life outside F1 from height to parents<\/a><\/p>\n Tsunoda was speaking on the Talking Bull Podcast and asked to use one word to describe some of his teammates.<\/p>\n When asked about Pierre Gasly, he said: \u201cBrother,\u201d before being asked about Ricciardo and answering, \u201cTeacher? No, teacher\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cMentor? Yes, mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n DRIVERRACESPierre Gasly44Nyck de Vries10Daniel Ricciardo26Liam Lawson11Isack Hadjar2Max Verstappen14*Yuki Tsunoda\u2019s Formula 1 teammates (accurate as of 2025 Italian Grand Prix)<\/p>\n For De Vries, Tsunoda said: \u201cWe were racing for quite a long time together. So, I can\u2019t say old friends? OK, old friends.\u201d<\/p>\n He was then asked about his Racing Bulls teammate from this season, Isack Hadjar and answered: \u201cBro, brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, for Max Verstappen, Tsunoda simply described him as a \u201cGin and tonic,\u201d referring back to a previous conversation in which he admitted that the four-time world champion introduced him to the drink.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo\u2019s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend<\/a><\/p>\n How Daniel Ricciardo helped improve Yuki Tsunoda\u2019s racing feedback<\/p>\n Tsunoda would have completed 100 Grand Prix for Red Bull\u2019s second team had he not earned his impromptu promotion at this year\u2019s Japanese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Red Bull typically don\u2019t want drivers to spend that long in their development team, but a shortage of young drivers to promote meant letting Tsunoda go never made sense.<\/p>\n New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies believes Ricciardo helped improve Tsunoda\u2019s feedback<\/a>, something that had previously held him back.<\/p>\n CategoryYuki TsunodaMax Verstappen2025 points12230Grand Prix results113Grand Prix qualifying014Grand Prix wins03Grand Prix poles05Grand Prix podiums07Best finish9th1stRetirements11Retirements (classified finish)00Fastest laps01Grand Prix points finishes415Sprint results02Sprint qualifying02Sprint wins01Sprint poles00Sprint podiums01The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen![\"Yuki](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2163743830-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Peter Fox \u2013 Formula 1\/Formula 1 via Getty Images<\/p>\n
*Tsunoda scored three of his points for Racing Bulls before replacing Lawson
*Verstappen scored 36 of his points before Tsunoda joined Red Bull<\/p>\n