Daniel Ricciardo has revealed the awkward aftermath to the most tense moment of his season at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.
The Aussie crashed out of the race in Budapest after colliding with Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen on the opening lap. Ricciardo started the race in sixth — one place behind Verstappen — but after passing the Dutchman on the second corner the youngster rammed into Ricciardo's RB13 and it was game over.
The West Australian was furious, slamming the move as "amateur" and calling Verstappen a "f***ing sore loser".
Reflecting on the incident after a season which saw Ricciardo finish fifth in the drivers' standings — one place ahead of Verstappen — the 28-year-old said he was in no mood for niceties at the Hungaroring.
"It was a whole lot of adrenaline and anger ... and not through my fault," Ricciardo said in an interview with ESPN. "The marshal was pulling me off the track saying, 'Come on, you've got to get off the track' and I was like, 'Don't touch me.'
"I purposely wanted to wait until Max came around so I could give him the bird.
"I wanted to do more. I wanted to throw my helmet at him but I'm a good sport, I don't do those things!"
And the tension didn't die down when both drivers were back in the Red Bull garage after the race. While it's an Australian custom to settle any disagreements over a cold one, Verstappen's timing was way off when he approached his stablemate with a peace offering.
Asked what his most awkward moment of the year was, Ricciardo said: "Probably when Max gave me a beer after the Budapest race.
"He was like, 'Sorry' and I was like, 'Please don't tell me he's only going to give me a beer and think that's going to make up for it.' Then he said, 'We'll talk after the meeting.'
"But the initial thing of him giving me a beer is kind of awkward."
Verstappen recently signed a new contract that will keep him at Red Bull until the end of 2020 but Ricciardo — whose contract ends at the end of next year — has braced himself for protracted talks, adamant he's entitled to a contract befitting his claim to an F1 championship.
Ricciardo has reiterated the potential for titles will be the biggest consideration for his next deal.
It positions next year as make-or-break in Ricciardo's relationship with his team after being crippled by mechanical issues while watching Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton win a fourth championship.
"It's not like I'm the young unproven kid who'll sign anything ... or at the other end of my career when I'm hanging on and doing things year by year," Ricciardo wrote on the Red Bull website.
"You look at Lewis and when he did his Mercedes deal, he was the same age as I am now if I remember correctly. He was already doing very well where he was, but his career has really taken off since then.
"I know what I want, and the performance side is more important than ticking the money box.
"Having the chance to be able to fight for something really meaningful — races, championships — that's the absolute priority."
Ricciardo took a backward step this year, slipping from third in the drivers' championship last year with 56 fewer points than in 2016.
Speculation around his future flared when Red Bull appeared to prioritise Verstappen by extending his contract. Ricciardo said the decision won't be a distraction despite him planning to spend the better part of next year making it.
"I'm not just going to settle on something because I want it to be off my mind," he said.
"It's a big call, the most important one for me yet, I think. I'll take as much time as I need to.
"It's not going to be a distraction."