The 2023 F1 world championship has been dominated by Red Bull and Max Verstappen till now. The Dutchman has won seven out of nine races so far this season. This makes him a runaway leader in the standings, and the first pick for anyone who is asked to predict the final table. English Premier League star Declan Rice, however, seems to feel differently.
Rice is one of the best sought-after midfielders in soccer at the moment, and has shone for West Ham United over the last few seasons. Now, he is ready to make the next big step in his professional career and is close to joining Premier League runners-up Arsenal. His transfer fee is $133,000,000 as per Fabrizio Romano.
Declan Rice deal, almost there! Arsenal and West Ham are progressing in talks to agree on payment terms/structure of the deal — it’s really, finally close now. 🚨🔴⚪️🏁 #AFC
Talks will continue to get it done… and then, here we go.
£105m package/fee agreed two days ago. pic.twitter.com/KZfaT89WQp
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 30, 2023
Before leaving for North London, however, Rice gave a bizarre take while still in the West Ham colors. This wasn’t related to soccer though, as he decided to snub Max Verstappen when asked who was going to win the 2023 F1 world championship.
Declan Rice chooses Red Bull outcast over Max Verstappen
Surprisingly, Declan Rise chose Daniel Ricciardo as his pick to become the 2023 world champion in Formula 1. Of course, it had to be a joke on the Englishman’s part. Because Ricciardo is not even a part of the grid this year. Rice’s bizarre take was part of a video that was uploaded on Instagram by DownF1orce.
Ricciardo lost out on his seat in F1 after McLaren sacked him at the end of 2022, and decided to return to Red Bull as a reserve driver. However, it seems as though the Aussie’s popularity is under no threat. Despite not being active or in the spotlight as regularly as Verstappen, Ricciardo still has the support of his fans, including Rice, who chose him over Verstappen.
View this post on Instagram
Rice, however, who is close to completing a move to Arsenal, will be happy to see Ricciardo behind the wheel at the next Grand Prix on the calendar. Ricciardo will drive the RB19 at Silverstone for three days, as a part of a Pirelli tire test.
Other West Ham United stars choose their F1 champion; they all snub Verstappen
It is very likely that Verstappen isn’t a popular F1 figure in the West Ham United dressing room. In the video, other drivers too, were asked to choose a world champion for this year’s race. No one went with Verstappen, even though his victory is almost a certainty.
Former Paris Saint Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola chose Lewis Hamilton as his pick, as did Michail Antonio.
On the other hand, Spanish midfielder Pablo Fornals decided to back his compatriot, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. He declared that the Aston Martin driver would win his 33rd race and win the world title. As things stand, both those things look unlikely.German footballer Thilo Kehler made another bizarre pick. He chose Kimi Raikkonen as his pick, even though the Iceman retired from F1 at the end of 2021.
