Ex-F1 star backs Norris not to make Daniel Ricciardo error

Daniel Ricciardo's move from Red Bull to Renault in 2018 is often perceived as a huge mistake, and his former team-mate has now been warned against making a similar move.

Ricciardo was with Red Bull for the majority of his career, claiming seven of his eight career wins with the team, while also driving with their junior outfit at the start and end of his illustrious career.

He was the team-mate of Max Verstappen between 2016-2018 and the Aussie and the Dutchman got on like a house on fire, so why did Ricciardo call it quits in 2018?

Could Lando Norris meet same career fate as Daniel Ricciardo?

Christian Horner and F1 advisor Helmut Marko failed to fill the second seat with a driver who Verstappen clicked with as well as he did with Ricciardo ever again, but the Aussie star felt his wings were being clipped as a number two driver.

As Verstappen's talent became too clear to ignore, Ricciardo fell into the second driver role and had to contend with being second best... sound familiar?

Five races into the 2025 campaign, Oscar Piastri leads the drivers' championship for the first time in his career, toppling McLaren team-mate Lando Norris who had been billed as the main title contender.

The papaya duo are now also equal on career wins but should Piastri extend his lead, Norris could consider switching teams to remain number one priority, making the same career-ending error as Ricciardo.

Speaking to CoinCasino, former F1 star and pundit Johnny Herbert warned of the British star meeting a similar fate.

"There's always a chance that Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri leaves McLaren because of the rivalry, but would they risk a good pairing?

"Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull because of Max Verstappen's emergence and gave it a shot at Renault. There will be a time at McLaren when they choose to favour one of the drivers, it's impossible to keep it equal. There will be more trust placed in the one driver outperforming the other, hopefully it’s a lesson learnt from last season. But, Piastri seems to be controlling his own destiny at the moment and has the edge.

"Could Norris take the same path as Ricciardo? Possibly… but why would he do that? He’s fast enough to beat Oscar for this Championship, it will be hard work for them both."

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