During a day organised by Birel Art in the days leading up to the Monza Grand Prix, we met the Red Bull driver at the 7 Laghi Kart track in Castelletto di Branduzzo. Daniel gave us a few minutes for a…most enjoyable interview.

We showed Daniel 4 photos without forewarning and asked him what was his relationship with those shown in the photos. Lastly, we asked him a "bonus" question. The result was an unusual and fun interview. There were no real scoops, but it was a great laugh. Regarding the karting scene, Riciardo has set the next date and his next involvement in Las Vegas, while he will not take part in the World Championship - as usual in recent years – at the PFI because he will be competing in Singapore and Malaysia.

Here are a few excerpts from the interview that you can watch and listen to in the video.

Photo 1: A kart, your kart (see the Under Exam section in TKART Magazine, Ed.)

"I had the opportunity to start manufacturing this kart and work with Birel to create this project. It is something that I’m passionate about and, to be honest, I’d like to be even more involved, but the F.1 calendar being so busy makes it quite difficult. I like to think that there is more than just my name on the kart..." (Watch the full interview in the video).

Photo 2: Girls, do you have a girlfriend?

"I don’t have a girlfriend and at the moment I'm not thinking about getting married. I had a girlfriend for a couple of years, but it’s difficult. It's difficult because we travel a lot and you want to spend time with your girlfriend. At the same time, though, when you’re racing you want to stay focussed and you want to be alone. Striking a balance between these two things is difficult ... (Watch the full interview in the video).

Photo 3: Money

The money is definitely a very positive aspect. It is a kind of bonus and recognition for all the sacrifices. I'm now competing in F.1 and I manage to earn from racing. When I started racing, it was for fun. I wanted to race in F.1, but not for the money, just to be the best and to be successful in terms of performance. However, now that I'm also paid for doing something I love ... well, it’s my dream job. What’s the first thing I bought when I started earning a lot? I think... (Watch the full interview in the video).

Photo 4: Max Verstappen

"My goodness, he’s ugly! (he says as he bursts out laughing, Ed..) No, come on, Budapest was an exception. Budapest aside, we have a very good relationship. There’s no doubt that I want to beat him and he wants to beat me, because we are both very competitive, but I feel that we respect each other ... (Watch the full interview in the video).