One F1’s most popular drivers, Daniel Ricciardo once opened up on his fame among American women. He feels that women from the United States are not shy about letting the AlphaTauri driver know about their intentions or admitting openly that they like him. Along with this, Ricciardo also spoke about how they often seek validation from him.
Ricciardo said at Jimmy Kimmel Live talk show,
“They’re not shy to say, ‘Oh, I have a crush on you, or they will let me know what driver they have a crush on and I think they are waiting for me to say, “Oh, they wanna know that’s like a good choice or not. Thumbs up or like.”
Notably, the F1 drivers – Ricciardo in particular – have become hugely popular in the United States in recent years thanks to Netflix’s Drive to Survive. Other than Ricciardo, the likes of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris became hugely popular in America.
F1’s parent company, Liberty Media, has done a fine job in promoting the sport through social media. However, Netflix’s Drive to Survive worked magic for these drivers, especially for Ricciardo. The honey badger has been one of the best characters to come out of the show and was the most wanted and watched entity in the docu-series – even more than world champions like Hamilton or Verstappen.
Ricciardo’s larger-than-life persona, his special love for Texas, and his American lifestyle have given him a different identity in the United States. As a result, even when he wasn’t delivering on the track, he was a fan favorite among American fans.
How is Daniel Ricciardo still very popular despite his career downfall?
Daniel Ricciardo’s performance has gone downhill since he first left Red Bull in 2018. First he went to Renault before switching to McLaren with the latter stint being the worst in his life. Despite this, his popularity or fan following never dwindled.
Ricciardo has a huge social media following and videos of him attending various talk shows and podcasts often flood the internet. The Honey Badger’s personality, in addition to his broad smile and bright face is what draws people to him.
Ricciardo is a very marketable athlete, even when he is away from F1. This fact is often cashed on by teams, who are always at a commercial advantage when they have him in the team. For example, McLaren used Ricciardo’s time is Woking to their fullest to keep fan engagement going, even though he was dismal out on the track.
