Daniel Ricciardo handed overwhelming Max Verstappen verdict as Sergio Perez vindicated

Max Verstappen has had no shortage of team-mates during his time at Red Bull, but when asked which of them performed best alongside the four-time world champion, our readers were emphatic: Daniel Ricciardo stands alone.

The Australian romped to victory in RacingNews365's latest poll, collecting nearly half of all votes cast. It is hardly a surprise.

Ricciardo remains the only team-mate to have beaten Verstappen in the championship standings, doing so in both 2016 and 2017, and the pair shared nine victories across their 58 races together, a genuinely competitive partnership that forced both drivers to raise their game.

Sergio Perez, now racing for Cadillac, finished a comfortable second in the vote, vindicating a four-season stint that was often underappreciated in real time.

His defensive masterclass against Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi 2021 helped deliver Verstappen's first title, and five victories across 2021 to 2024 made him comfortably the most productive of Verstappen's supporting cast, even if his sharp decline in form during 2023 and 2024 soured the final chapter.

Perhaps the most striking result was the strong showing for Isack Hadjar, Red Bull's current second driver, who attracted a sizeable share of votes despite being only nine rounds into his first season alongside the Dutchman. 

A run of five consecutive points finishes from Canada to Silverstone, including fourth in Monaco, has clearly caught the eye.

At the other end of the spectrum, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, both demoted during their Red Bull tenures, collected almost nothing between them.

Liam Lawson, who lasted just two pointless races before his 2025 demotion, and Yuki Tsunoda, who endured long scoreless runs after replacing Lawson, fared little better.