F1 Star Daniel Ricciardo Watches Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat Breeze Past the New York Knicks

Daniel Ricciardo, one of the most popular stars in F1 was spotted at the Kaseya Arena, watching the Miami Heat take a 3-1 lead over the New York Knicks in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Ricciardo, who was in Miami for the Grand Prix on Sunday, decided to spend his time in the city watching a high-profile basketball game at the Kaseya Arena.

The Heat headed into the fourth game of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Knicks, 2-1 up. With a 109-101 win, they have now taken a formidable 3-1 lead in the series, and are one game away from making it to the Conference Finals. Jimmy Butler, who has been of the best players in the Playoffs, scored 27 points, leading his time to victory on their home court.

Ricciardo was in attendance at the Kaseya arena, as the cameras showed when they zoomed into him during a time-out.  His presence on the big screen was met with a rousing cheer, and Ricciardo himself posted pictures of him at the game, to look back on a fun weekend he spent in Miami. Pictures of him at the game also appeared on other social media sites, such as Reddit.

Daniel Ricciardo looking back on a fun Miami GP weekend

Ricciardo, who is spending the 2023 season from the sidelines, admitted to having a fun weekend in Florida on Instagram. The 33-year-old posted pictures of him driving a boat, and throwing AlphaTauri star Yuki Tsunoda off it!

Ricciardo was also present at the Miami International Autodrome, to witness a Red Bull masterclass, as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished P1 and P2 respectively. The Perth-born driver was a part of the post-race celebration, where the entire team sprayed champagne all over each other inside the paddock at the Hard Rock Stadium.

To end his weekend on a high note, the 33-year-old former McLaren driver decided to watch the game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks. Now that the Heat have defeated the Knicks with Ricciardo in attendance, they just have to win one more game to reach the next round.

What are Ricciardo’s plans for 2023?

After losing out on his McLaren seat at the end of the 2022 season, Ricciardo was unable to find a place for himself this season. Instead of choosing to drive for a team that is weak, Ricciardo decided to return to Red Bull with whom he won seven F1 races between 2014 and 2018.

Unfortunately for Ricciardo, he will spend the 2023 season as a third driver behind Verstappen and Perez. His man job includes assisting the team in the simulator, and appearing for commercial and media duties.

However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has insisted that the honey badger will get time behind the wheel of an F1 car, as a part of a test sometime later this year.