Max Verstappen has responded to Daniel Ricciardo’s comments on wanting to compete in Le Mans with the four-time world champion.
Ricciardo recently appeared on the Beyond the F1 Grid podcast, where the Australian driver discussed his retirement and the possibility of returning to racing. While he was unsure, he did say Le Mans interests him, especially with Verstappen as a potential teammate.
On Thursday of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Verstappen was asked about the proposition by media including Motorsport Week.
“He’s a smart man to choose me in the car, but we’ll have to see. It just depends on a lot of things.” He said.
Although the Dutchman seemed eager to take part in the endurance race, he also admitted he wanted to give it the time and dedication it deserves.
“Also, for me, if I want to do it, I want to do it properly with really good prep, and at the moment I cannot do that. I don’t have the free time to dedicate to a Le Mans project with all the other things that I’m also doing outside of Formula 1.”
Max Verstappen not surprised by talk of Daniel Ricciardo Motorsport comeback
While Ricciardo’s podcast appearance was one of his first since his retirement, Verstappen told the media that the idea of him potentially coming back wasn’t a surprise.
“This is not new to me, of course. I think it’s either from my side or his. I don’t think we are the types that always need to share everything. We talk about a lot of things in the background.”
However, when he was asked if he’d like to see Ricciardo come back in a more permanent role in Formula 1, he dismissed it, saying Ricciardo ‘explained it himself’.
“I think he said it himself. He doesn’t see himself coming back for a whole race season. But Le Mans can interest him. Why not? I think if we do something like that, he will for sure agree that it needs to be proper.
“It needs to be for a chance to win. For a chance to win against people that do it for a whole season. You need to be prepared really well. You just need to find the right timing.”
A Verstappen-Ricciardo reunion is a tantalising prospect, particularly when paired with the idea of a race as iconic as Le Mans. Whether this dream comes off remains to be seen.
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