3 Special Ingredients Make Daniel Ricciardo the “Shaquille O’Neal of F1” According to His Closest Friend

Daniel Ricciardo is mostly known for his flamboyant personality and fantastic sense of humor. Since the Australian often finds ways to have some fun, F1 expert Dax Shepherd has compared the 34-year-old to NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

Shepherd said (as quoted by GQ Australia), “He (Ricciardo) combines the perfect amount of playfulness, cockiness and self-awareness. I call him the Shaquille O’Neal of Formula One. He seems to be having more fun than everyone else. Don’t we all hope to be having that much fun?”

Due to his fun-loving nature, the Honey Badger has indeed become a global icon. As a result of his fame, he also gets invitations to appear on multiple talk shows in the United States and the rest of the world.

However, despite getting so much attention, the former McLaren driver’s demeanor has remained unchanged. Scotty James, who is one of Ricciardo’s friends, noted the same and revealed how the Australian has remained humble despite his increasing popularity.

“If anything I have noticed DR is more critical about what’s important to him, who he surrounds himself with, and most importantly, not forgetting where he came from. Being a good person, genuine and true to himself regardless of the craziness is a quality I admire greatly about him,” said James.

It is this same down-to-earth personality of his that has helped him earn millions of followers across different social media platforms. Since fans all around the world give him so much love, Ricciardo tries as hard as possible to entertain them as well.

Daniel Ricciardo once explained how female fans love him in the US

Ahead of last year’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show. During the show, he revealed some of the interesting interactions he had with female fans.

On the show, host Kimmel asked Ricciardo about the interest he has been receiving from women in the United States. While answering the same, the 34-year-old chose to give a diplomatic reply. He said, “I find that they’re certainly not shy to say, ‘I have a crush on you.’”

Ricciardo does indeed have a huge role to play in popularizing the sport in the North American country. Thanks to Netflix’s Drive to Survive, the Honey Badger is now one of the most important individuals in F1.