Ricciardo back at the races, but not Baku where 2018 clash with Max signalled Red Bull exit

Daniel Ricciardo shocked the Formula 1 world at the end of 2022 when it was announced that the Australian would return to Red Bull Racing in 2023.

It was a welcome relief, considering the Aussie's trying tenure at McLaren during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Several teams came knocking on the driver's door for a racing seat but, in the end, he opted to sit on the sidelines for a year while taking up Red Bull's offer to be the team's reserve driver, as well as dabbling in media duties.

Seeing the Honey Badger return to the team that never wanted to see him go in the first place was a relief for many. What some may not know is that Ricciardo's 2018 departure was ignited by what happened at that year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix - the same venue the sport will visit at the end of April.

The infamous clash

Ricciardo had been on a steady decline throughout 2018. When he joined Red Bull in 2014, he had the better of then-teammate Sebastian Vettel. He also saw off Daniil Kvyat in 2015, but he met his match in Kvyat's replacement, Max Verstappen, in 2016.

The two endured a challenging 2017 with an F1 car occasionally capable of challenging for a win, but it came to a head in 2018 as they tried to get the better of each other in another car difficult to drive.

On lap 40 of 51 of the Baku race, with Verstappen and Ricciardo in fourth and fifth, the Aussie prepared to pass his Dutch teammate as they crossed the start/finish line.

With his DRS open, Ricciardo rapidly closed in on Verstappen, but the younger of the two Red Bull drivers moved back in front of the other Red Bull, having already made a defensive move.

It backfired epically. The two drivers exited the race and the team left the venue with zero points.

While Race Control deemed it a