It was a sight to behold. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce reveling in their glory with the Kansas City Chiefs as red and golden confetti flooded the State Farm Stadium. A season full of hard work and relentless dedication paid off as Super Bowl LVII’s victors roared in celebration. The energy was contagious. Especially for one man sitting in the stands that night- Daniel Ricciardo. It was time to come back.
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Mahomes and his team had a marvelous run to the Lombardi Trophy in the 2022 season. Finishing the regular season 14-3, the team not only improved from the previous season but also matched the franchise record for wins.
With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Kelce shouted a resounding message to everyone who doubted them. “Feel it. The next time the Chiefs say something, put some respect on our name.”
With Ricciardo witnessing all this unfold, something went off inside the F1 driver. Something that may have just made him want a moment back, something like Monza 2021, where he too can say: “Put some respect on my name.”
Daniel Ricciardo stirred up by Patrick Mahomes & the Chiefs
As Ricciardo gets back behind an F1 wheel after what seemed like forever, the emotions are at-time high. When asked about what reignited the fire, Ricciardo was taken back to the energy at State Farm. “It was probably around the time I went to the Superbowl.”
Joking about his performance these last few years, Ricciardo laced his confession with a self-deprecating joke. “Being in a competitive environment- obviously, I wasn’t competing,” he laughed, “plot twist! But feeling that sport, and being there… that moment… That was where I started to get some of those feelings back.”
Back to the grid and it feels this good. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/I822arT99G
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 11, 2023
The feeling helped Ricciardo remember the days he was hailed as the best late-braker on the grid, the man who pulled a triple overtake, who tasted redemption in Monaco and then again at Monza. The man who drank champagne out of his shoe. “I could feel a lot of it. I was like yeah, this feeling hasn’t gone yet. That competition- that ‘oh I would love to be under the lights and compete right now.’ That was certainly a moment where it all started to turn around I guess.”
Red Bull give Ricciardo a lifeline
The conspiracy is that Ricciardo’s move to AlphaTauri, the Red Bull B-Team, would mean a seat for him in the big leagues in the near future. Sure enough, that is the American Sweetheart’s goal.
As team principal Christian Horner stated, “I think Daniel is viewing AlphaTauri… he firmly wants to be pitching for that 2025 Red Bull seat. That’s his golden objective. And by going to AlphaTauri, I think he sees that as his best route of stating his case for 2025.”
With Perez underperforming with the fastest car on the grid, it may not be a wild dream. However, Red Bull is notorious for focusing on younger drivers to fulfill their goals. Will Ricciardo get his Patrick Mahomes moment this season? Only time will tell.
