Ricciardo signed up as Red Bull’s third driver this year in a bid to rebuild his career after losing his seat at McLaren following two disappointing campaigns.
And while Red Bull admitted that the Australian seemed out of sorts with his driving during his first runs in the team’s simulator, he made rapid progress to get back up to speed and is now viewed as an important weapon in the squad’s war chest.
Ricciardo will get his first run in Red Bull’s 2023 F1 car at Silverstone this week as part of the post-British Grand Prix Pirelli test.
And, if he impresses the squad there, it could boost his chances of it electing to put him back in a race seat in 2024.
Verstappen has been working closely with Ricciardo this season and has said that the impressive job he is doing should really have been expected considering his talent.
“He's doing a good job in the simulator,” explained Verstappen. “But you know, that's not something I'm amazed about.
“Of course, he had difficult years at McLaren, but you don't lose your talent. And, of course, he also has a lot of experience.
Source: Autosport