$50 Million Man Daniel Ricciardo Refuses to Give Away His Secrets To McLaren F1 Successor Oscar Piastri: “Because Then I’m No Longer…”

The Honey Badger will take the grid for the last time in Abu Dhabi, at least for the foreseeable future. Daniel Ricciardo mutually terminated his contract with McLaren earlier this year. To make matters more complicated, he hasn’t yet found a racing seat for next year and is potentially staring at a reserve driver’s role. Oscar Piastri will race beside Lando Norris and replace Ricciardo next year.

It wasn’t by any means a very pleasing race for Daniel in Interlagos. He took out himself and Kevin Magnussen in the very first lap of the race on a track where McLaren seemed to have a good pace. The Woking-based team’s fortunes turned worse when Lando Norris had to retire due to an electrical failure in Norris’ car.

The outgoing Ricciardo has further commented that he will not be sharing his secrets with his compatriot Piastri. In a Q&A video, a fan asked Ricciardo to teach Piastri about colors since fans found most of his merch to be black.

Ricciardo laughed and shared, “I can’t give away all of my secrets because then I’m no longer the cool kid on the block or unique. Look, on the merch side, it’s cool that other drivers are doing it and stuff.”

He further added, “But yeah, I’d say I’ve invested a lot of time into it and it’s become a real, not only hobby but a business. I appreciate the compliments and I’ll continue to do it on the grid or not on the grid. I’ll continue to do it.”

READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo “At Peace” With 2022 F1 Season Being His Last Dance

Ricciardo will hope to score points in his last race to help McLaren in their battle with Alpine. However, the most important thing for him would be to enjoy his time out on the track.

Daniel Ricciardo encouraged to take time off by former F1 driver

Former F1 driver David Coulthard has encouraged Daniel to take a sabbatical and return stronger to the F1 grid. Daniel, who has won 8 races in his career, was one of the most feared drivers during his Red Bull days. However, his move away from Red Bull has not really helped his career – particularly the one with McLaren.

David Coulthard, speaking on the In the Fast Lane podcast, said in, “I think he needs to step away, take stock and rediscover whatever it was that was working for him in the first part of his Formula 1 journey. He’s young enough and fit enough to be able to get back to that place.”

He also added, “Success brings a lot of things and it brings baggage. Maybe some of that baggage is really expensive designer baggage, but it still has to be carried. For some people, that slows them down.”

DC also stressed that despite Daniel’s bright and jolly personality, it is not enough to race in F1.

WATCH THIS STORY: Daniel Ricciardo’s Best Moments in F1

Nico Hulkenberg’s announcement to Haas will give some comfort to Daniel. The Aussie driver knows there’s still a possibility for him. Although, it will not be an easy road back for the Honey badger. Can the Australian fight his way back to earn a race seat?