Since Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix this year, the two drivers have been closely matched with Ricciardo scoring 220 points as team-mates while Verstappen picked up 191.

While the two largely got on well this year, ahead of the introduction of new aerodynamic regulations in 2017, Ricciardo is aware it is unlikely to be the same situation if Red Bull is strong next season.

“Well, I’m not naive,” Ricciardo told the official Red Bull website. “If we’re fighting for wins I’m sure the pressure and tension will rise – but hopefully we’ll be able to look each other in the eye and say “good job” afterwards.”

And Ricciardo sees the new regulations as a good chance for Red Bull to at least get closer to Mercedes than it has been over the past three years.

“I honestly think it’s a good thing for us. It seems to put more emphasis on aerodynamics and I have a lot of faith in our aerodynamics department.

“It’s our strong suit. From that point of view I don’t think it can hurt us. Also, I think the cars are going to look pretty bad-ass. Mean, wider tyres, more muscular. Grrrrrr…”

Keep up to date with all the F1i.com news via Facebook and Twitter