Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo share surprise reunion and get humbled by 13-year-old

and reunited for the first time since the Australian racer was brutally ditched by after the Singapore Grand Prix, playing - and losing - against a 13-year-old in a game of padel.

Ricciardo has been taking some time away from the F1 world since losing his drive with VCARB but has remained active on social media, attending a Buffalo Bills NFL fixture and hanging out with friends and family.

Now, he has reunited with one of his closest friends in the F1 paddock - former team-mate Verstappen. The duo rolled back the years, teaming up for a game of padel, which has become the leisure sport of choice for drivers in between race weekends.

"I mean, padel was good with Daniel, we just got absolutely spanked by a 13-year-old. No, but honestly, he was very good. Like I'm not joking, he is very good. I'm not saying I'm really, really good, but I'm also not really, really s***, if you know what I mean," Verstappen said on a sim racing live stream.

Ricciardo posted a photo of himself and Verstappen standing on either side of their opponent to his Instagram story with the caption: "We got humbled yesterday. 13 years old. 6-4 and 6-1. Back to the drawing board."

Ricciardo and Verstappen are far from the only members of the paddock who enjoy the sport. George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso are among the cohort of F1 racers who seek to get onto the court at any opportunity possible, often playing one another in mini-tournaments.

"I think just getting the adrenaline, getting your heart rate up, kind of keeps you awake a little bit," Piastri explained when asked why so many drivers play padel in their downtime. "I don't drink coffee, so I don't rely on that to keep me awake, which bites me sometimes, but I think overall, probably not a bad thing."

One driver has even taken his involvement in the sport to the next level. In October, Alpine star Pierre Gasly became the owner of a new professional team, 10Padel, joining forces with Loic Fery, president of Ligue 2 side Lorient, in this exciting venture.

"Some very exciting news, I became a padel owner this morning, entering the eights team in the Hexagon Cup," Gasly explained. "It's a new competition that started last year in Madrid.

"Big names involved, Lionel Messi, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, they own teams and many others [do as well]. It's really exciting to have my own team playing against these guys. It's going to start at the end of January next year, so if you're available that weekend, you're more than welcome to come."