Home

F1

Daniel Ricciardo Reveals His Special Dream For America After DTS Turns the Honey-Badger Into a Cult Hero

Published May 2, 2024 | 11:14 AM EDT

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

The ‘Drive to Survive’ revolution changed the face of Formula 1 in The States. As it brought 70 million news fans on board because of the thrilling build-up, off and on-track drama, it also turned some existing entities into heroes. Guenther Steiner and Daniel Ricciardo are the prime examples of the same. Daniel Ricciardo, fondly known as the honey badger, became the most loved driver of recent times and his charm had everyone spellbound. Interestingly, he has also been spellbound by the American way of life.

Ricciardo’s popularity boomed so much that Red Bull took him on as the third driver who would be involved in promotional and ambassadorial roles for the Milton Keynes outfit. Owning a home in Texas, Daniel Ricciardo considers himself a part of America as well, and talking about his perception and love for the States, he dived into the “if I had a second life” explaining how he would lead it.

Talking ESPN Ricciardo said, “I do love the way the sport’s grown in the States. I just love how America does sport. If I had a second life, I’d love to go to college and play football, and do the American thing. So us kind of touching a little bit of the States now gives me a little bit of that. Something I would have liked to have felt in another life! I still get it quite a bit like, — you were great on that show! I feel like, ‘You know I’m not an actor right?’ But it’s still great. It’s hard not to love it.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Reuters

But, of course, every coin has two side. While this is a very honest and unexpected confession, Ricciardo also talked about his struggles and how he deals with it.

Daniel Ricciardo also got candid about his fans’ reaction to his good days and bad

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Daniel Ricciardo is an 8x Grand Prix winner and was at one time considered a future world champion as he brought the fight to his teammate Sebastian Vettel (4x world champion). However, his decision to leave Red Bull and subsequent team hopping has not paid him well. Though he remains the only one in the past decade to win a GP for McLaren, the past few years haven’t been kind to him.

Talking about how people praise and criticize him, Ricciardo shared: “I’m sure a lot of people, my fans, F1 fans, whoever, have been saying, ”F—ing hell Daniel, pull your finger out, what the f— are you doing?’ That’s just part of this whole thing.”

Trending

Red Bull Insider Delivers Bad News to Frederic Vasseur as He Reveals Big “Advantage” Over Ferrari

Pleasing GF Kelly Piquet’s Dad or Genuine Mistake- Max Verstappen Sparks Debate With Blunder During Ayrton Senna’s Tribute

“Just Being Wheeled Around”: Adrian Newey Accuses Red Bull of ‘Not Involving’ Him in Strategic Calls After Decision to Leave

Hours After Watches Sell for Millions, Michael Schumacher’s $1.6 Million Best Looking Car of All Time Goes Up for Sale

Lando Norris’ Birthday Post Goes Wrong as He Exposes Max Verstappen’s Adventurous Side on Instagram, Sends Fans Into a Frenzy

Furthermore, the racer also tried to justify the opinions and even revealed how he doesn’t pay much heed to it. “I’m sure for a lot of them it comes out of a place of them caring and wanting me to do good. And then for some, they just have a negative opinion they won’t change. I tend not to read stuff about me. I’m generally not a big reader, but inevitably you come across stuff. But it’s one of those things. I perform at a few races and all of a sudden it’s ‘Daniel’s back’ or ‘Daniel’s in contention for this, or that’,” said the Australian driver, according to ESPN.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

While social media has made it easier for critics to voice their unsolicited opinions, perhaps Ricciardo will to have to get back to consistency if he wants to shut the naysayers down. Coming from a 18th place finish at the Chinese GP and a three-place grid penalty going into Miami, do you think he’ll be able to show results? Tell us your predictions!

Written by:

Anmol

647Articles

One take at a time

Anmol is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports. With a background in journalism and a passion for motorsports, she brings a unique perspective to her coverage of the world of F1. Anmol's interest in the sport was piqued after watching Lewis Hamilton's interview with David Letterman, and she has been a dedicated follower ever since.
Show More>

Edited by:

Ariva Debnath