"We got absolutely spanked by a 13-year-old": Max Verstappen on his latest paddle meet-up with Daniel Ricciardo
Max Verstappen recently shared how he met with Daniel Ricciardo for a game of paddle and was massively defeated by a 13-year-old player.
After the triple-header Grand Prix weekends in the West, F1 drivers and teams received a two-week break where they recharged for the last two races of the season. During this time, Verstappen was frequently seen enjoying live on Twitch with his eSports racing team, Redline. With them, he usually plays Call Of Duty.
Apart from video games, he also loves to play paddle with other F1 drivers. Verstappen has been pictured with the likes of Lando Norris, Alex Albon, and others while playing paddle.
During a recent Redline livestream, he shared how he went to play paddle with his former teammate, Daniel Ricciardo. The Dutch narrated the hilarious incident of how they were obliterated by a 13-year-old paddle player. Later, he genuinely praised the youngster's skills.
"Yeah paddle was good with Daniel! We just got absolutely spanked by a 13 year old. No, but honestly he was very good. I'm not joking, he was very good. I'm not saying I'm really really good, but I'm also not really s**t"
Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo have a long and strong friendship with one another. They were once teammates in Red Bull from 2016 to 2018 and kept a connection with one another, even after Ricciardo left the Austrian team.
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen pictured with 13-year-old paddle player who "humbled" the F1 drivers
While Max Verstappen told the story of how he and Daniel Ricciardo were defeated by a 13-year-old paddle player, the Australian driver posted a wholesome picture with his former teammate and the kid.
On his official Instagram account on November 13, Ricciardo posted a picture where he, the young paddle player, and Max Verstappen stood with each other on the court after their match. In the caption, the Honey Badger wrote that both he and Verstappen were humbled yesterday by the kid since the scoreline was 6-4 and 6-1. He then humorously added that they need to go back to the planning board and rethink their playing style.
"We got humbled yesterday. 13 years old. 6-4 and 6-1. Back to the drawing board," Ricciardo wrote.
Recently, Daniel Ricciardo was removed by RB and replaced by Liam Lawson. As of now, Ricciardo has not announced any future plans for his racing career.
As for Verstappen, he continues to lead the 2024 F1 drivers' championship with 393 points. The Dutchman is well on his way to winning his fourth consecutive driver's title.