Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Hungarian Grand Prix
Formula One - F1 - Hungarian Grand Prix Practice - Budapest, Hungary - July 29, 2017 Red Bull's Max Verstappen before qualifying Reuters / Laszlo Balogh

Red Bull's Max Verstappen has publicly apologised to teammate Daniel Ricciardo for their collision in the opening lap of Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix. The collision led to an early retirement for Ricciardo, who remains the only non-Mercedes or Ferrari driver to win a Grand Prix in the 2017 Formula One season.

The pair collided at Turn Two after Verstappen attempted a move down the inside of Ricciardo, causing severe damage to the Australian's car. A few minutes later, Ricciardo cited inexperience on the part of 19-year-old Verstappen before calling the teenager "an amateur" for making "a very poor mistake."

The reckless move would cost Verstappen the opportunity to challenge for a podium finish as the teenager finished fifth behind Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton. “I apologise to Daniel and also to the team because we could have scored some good points. I’ll speak to Daniel in private and we’ll sort it out,” Verstappen told Sky F1 after the race, via Fox Sports.

Max Verstappen viewed as future star in sport

The 19-year-old Verstappen is widely regarded as a future superstar and world champion. Earlier in the season, the Belgian-Dutch driver won lavish praise from peers and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner for an impeccable performance at the Chinese Grand Prix. Verstappen braved through rain and damp conditions at the Shanghai International Circuit before finishing in the podium.

“It’s of course not what you want. Everything started in Turn One. The start was actually quite good but then I got squeezed wide by (Valtteri) Bottas and lost quite a bit of speed and then we were both fighting for position in Turn Two. We braked quite deep into the corner but I had a car in front of me and locked the front. From there I was just a passenger. I was trying to avoid Daniel but it was not possible. It’s never my intention to hit anyone but especially not my teammate and especially with the relationship I have with Daniel which is very good," Verstappen added.

Besides prevailing in the inaugural Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku, Daniel Ricciardo finished in the podium at Spain, Monaco, Canada and Austria for a tally of 117 FIA World Championship points midway through the season. The 2017 Formula One season moves to Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix in the final weekend of August. Sebastian Vettel (202 points) leads Lewis Hamilton (188) in the world title race.