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What Is Australian Daniel Ricciardo’s Shoey Tradition in F1?

Published 03/13/2024, 6:18 AM EDT

In over 75 seasons, with 1103 races held as of the Saudi Arabian GP, 113 Grand Prix winners, and thousands of different celebrations, only one has stood out. We can make this bold claim thanks to the popularity of the man and in turn his celebration. We are talking about Daniel Ricciardo‘s shoey. The Honey Badger’s podium celebration has its separate fanbase and we felt it was necessary to talk about its origin ahead of the Australian GP.

Ricciardo has stood on the podium 32 times so far but his famous celebration did not come until his 13th. First seen in the world of F1 during the 2016 German GP, after finishing 2nd on Hockenheimring driving the Red Bull RB12 Ricciardo took out his shoe and poured champagne in it, and proceeded to drink it. He shocked the entire F1 world and especially everyone present during the celebration. This was the first instance of a shoey in Formula 1, a tradition carried on only by Ricciardo with many others jumping on the bandwagon.

However, this celebration wasn’t invented by the Aussie driver. This celebration comes from a different group of Aussies, from the land down under, and Ricciardo picked up the tradition.

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He revealed the origin during an interview: “It basically comes from a few Aussies called the Mad Hueys. They basically travel the world fishing and surfing and they like to drink a lot of beer – so that’s where the shoey began. It’s just a bit of fun and everyone’s enjoying it.”

What Is the Viral Shoey Celebration Performed by Rhea Ripley & F1 Driver Daniel Ricciardo?

So now you know it’s origin but sadly we haven’t seen a Shoey since the 2021 Italian GP. However, despite his absence from the podium and continuing the Shoey tradition, Ricciardo has made countless memories with his previous celebrations. Let us tell you about all the individuals who have been part of it.

The list of people who have drank from Daniel Ricciardo’s shoes

A bit of fun is how the Shoey started but it divided everyone’s opinion because of the hygiene factor. One can assume champagne doesn’t taste best coming out of a sweaty shoe as well. However, despite that, Ricciardo has managed to make a lot of people drink from his shoes, and not for the logical reasons he’d like you to believe.

The first shoey was reserved for Ricciardo alone. However, After the 2016 German GP, Ricciardo stood on the podium five more times and did a shoey two more times. In the Belgian GP, he roped Mark Webber into drinking from his shoe. In 2016 Malaysia, the entire podium which included Max Verstappen, Christian Horner, and Nico Rosberg all partook. In the 2016 US GP, Ricciardo even made Hollywood star Gerard Butler do a Shoey with him.

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In the 2017 Canadian GP, Ricciardo politely asked, “Would you like some?” to Sir Patrick Stewart. The British legend replied, “I’d love some” and did a Shoey. In 2017 in Azerbaijan and Austria, Lance Stroll and Martin Brundle joined the list, respectively. The next time we saw someone take part in a Shoey was in the 2018 Monaco GP where Adrian Newey also drank from Ricciardo’s shoe.

However, the most surprising for Ricciardo was the 2020 Emilia Romagna GP, where even Lewis Hamilton joined in and asked him to “take your other shoe off” and did a Shoey after claiming he would never ever do it. Then we saw Ricciardo put a shoe full of champagne on the mouths of then-teammate Lando Norris and boss Zak Brown after winning the 2021 Italian GP.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Daniel Ricciardo’s Best Shoey Celebrations Ranked

There you have it folks, the long and rich history of one of the most iconic celebrations in the world of F1. Given the opportunity, would you ever do it?

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Written by:

Mahim is a senior Formula 1 writer at EssentiallySports. With a Diploma in Sports Management, he ventured into sports journalism for his sheer passion for F1. Mahim has written over 2000 articles during his tenure at ES, and his expertise is in perspective pieces and core sports coverage.

Edited by:

Akash Pandhare

What Is Australian Daniel Ricciardo’s Shoey Tradition in F1?

The list of people who have drank from Daniel Ricciardo’s shoes

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