Daniel Ricciardo loves the USA and treats the nation like his second home. From cheering for American football teams and making a grand ‘Cowboy’ appearance ahead of the US GP, Ricciardo is American at heart.
The Aussie isn’t alone in his liking for the Land of Liberty. Formula 1 has emerged as a crowd favourite amongst Americans and now draws more fans from stateside than ever before.
In fact, the USA has emerged as F1’s biggest market and is set to host 3 races in 2023 with Las Vegas becoming the newest addition to the F1 calendar. And after 7 seasons, Americans shall witness a home-grown driver, Logan Sargeant, race in the sport.
Yeeeeeehaaaaaaa Let’s go Cowboy!! @danielricciardo Top!!!! #austingp #f1 pic.twitter.com/bgwfTJfZL2
— Adal Franco (@AdalFrancoESPN) October 20, 2022
F1’s Netflix docu-series “Drive to Survive” is credited often for the boom in the popularity of the sport in the US. But Ricciardo feels, that’s not just it!
“It was just a matter of time” claims Daniel Ricciardo on F1’s soaring fandom in the USA
Daniel Ricciardo made an appearance on CBS’s ‘The Late Show’ with Stephen Colbert. Colbert expressed how amazed he was by the explosion of the sport in the country.
Colbert asked if this success was just because of ‘Drive To Survive’. But Aussie gave a cheeky response saying, “I was going to say something serious. But ultimately, I think it’s my good looks!”
However, Daniel does claim the Netflix series has played a huge role in “putting F1 on the map.” And especially introducing the sport to new regions where following for the sport was limited.
Formula 1 driver @danielricciardo explains to Stephen why he thinks F1’s popularity has exploded in the United States. #Colbert pic.twitter.com/ZE4oyVo2D7
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) February 3, 2023
Ricciardo reasoned, “There are parts of the world where it has always been big. Like in Europe, F1 has always existed. And there has always been a core following there.”
He added, “I feel it was inevitable to blow up here in the States because you do sports so well. And it was just a matter of time before it accelerated through the show.”
Also Read: David Croft Warns Red Bull That Daniel Ricciardo Would Be Too Old to Replace Max Verstappen
Ricciardo to make a final ‘Drive To Survive’ Appearance
Daniel Ricciardo was let go from his racing duties at McLaren after the 2022 season. The Aussie has decided to take a break from racing and in the meantime, has taken up the reserve driver role at Red Bull
This means the smiling Aussie could make his final DTS appearance this season. As a return back to the F1 grid in the future is still hard to predict.
Formula 1: Drive To Survive returns February 24 — and here’s your first look at Season 5! pic.twitter.com/17R4SAGck6
— Netflix (@netflix) January 12, 2023
Netflix recently announced the release date of “Drive To Survive.” The 5th season of the superhit series will be released on February 24th, a week before racing resumes with the 2023 Bahrain GP.
The season will feature Max Verstappen making a return to the series. The Dutchman refused to appear in the 4th season after he disagreed with the show’s over-dramatization of the sport.
Also Read: Oscar Piastri after replacing Daniel Ricciardo takes him for a ride in his $310,000 McLaren
