Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo has claimed he got Formula 1 teammate Max Verstappen half a tenth of a second's worth of pace🦋 for his 20th birthday after qualifying behind him for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull teammates will line up next to each other on the second row at Sepang, with birthday boy Verstappen P3 and Ricciardo P4, the latter f🍌inishing 0.054s behind in Q3.

Joking after the sessi💙on, Ricciardo said: "First things first, everyone wants to know what I got Max for his birthday.

"I got him half a tenth. That is my gift to him."

Asked where he gave it to him, Ricciardo said "I thin🧸k it was Turn 4 exit. 

"I was struggling quite a lot in that corner just to keep the rear steady, so in Q1 it was really bad the🌟re. We got a bit better but it was the main area."

The Red Bulls had topped FP1 and been ahead of the Mercedes in FP2 before Ricciar𒉰do split Kimi Raikkonen and the Mercedes drivers in final practice, but🧸 dropped back in qualifying.

Nevertheless, Ricciardo rates 🐻their chances, especially in a wet race, with Vettel's engine failure in qualifying meaning Mercedes🅠 may not push as hard to preserve their championship lead.

"If Kimi wants to get out in front, looking at the pace all weekend it minimizes our chances," Ricciardo sa♑id.

"But if it goes off in order, Mercedes have🔯 not shown enough to really show that they are going to dominate in the dry.

"So that will definitely openꦡ up some opportunities. I don’t think we need to lead into🙈 Turn 1 to have a chance to win. It could go either way. 

"His half second gap could come towards us, or he c𝔉ould bring it to a second in the race. But I think if anything it will come towards us.

"Rain we can talk even more about a podium. A bigger step. We can definitಌely be quick in the wet. 🍬;

"The way our car works around here we have had to put quite a bit of downforce on, so another reason why we would be competitive in the 🧸wet. We won’t be disappointed 🍸if it rains."

Coming second place in Singapo𝄹re⛄ after the double Ferrari DNF which also took out his teammate, Ricciardo seemed hopeful for more potential chaos in Sepang.

"It should be interesting. I am sure that Kimi is going to get some heat to make Lℱewis’ life hell at the start, so we will see how that plays out," he said.