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“I was going to retire from F1, I will not no more!”- Daniel Ricciardo reacts jubilantly to F1’s decision to race in Las Vegas 2023 onwards

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"I was going to retire from F1, I will not no more!"- Daniel Ricciardo reacts jubilantly to F1's decision to race in Las Vegas 2023 onwards

F1 officially announced that Las Vegas will be hosting a night race next year onwards, and Daniel Ricciardo seems extremely happy about it.  

A potential return for Las Vegas in the F1 calendar was rumored for a long time. It’s one of the most recognizable cities in the world, and it’s glamour would be good for increasing the sport’s market in the US and around the world.

The last we saw a race in the Sin City was 1984, with the Caesars Palace GP. It did not bring in much success and the race was met with overwhelming negative response. A major reason for that was the fact that F1 wasn’t popular in the US back then.

Today on the other hand, F1 is a global spectacle that has an ever increasing audience in the United States. As a result, the organizers made the decision to add Las Vegas to the 2023 calendar.

The city of Las Vegas joins Miami and Austin as the third American city in the F1 calendar. It’s going to be a street circuit lay-out, around the prominent parts of the city, and will feature 14 corners.

Also read: Red Bull boss Helmut Marko feels Carlos Sainz will spend 2022 in the shadows of Charles Leclerc

Daniel Ricciardo and other F1 drivers react to the inclusion of Las Vegas into the calendar

After announcing the decision to bring a race to Nevada, F1 shared a video on their Twitter, where the current drivers reacted to the news. It began with Esteban Ocon looking surprised, and exclaiming, “Are we going to race there?! No!”.

The highlight of the video however, was Daniel Ricciardo. The McLaren driver showed himself to be smiling and happily snapping his fingers.

He added it by saying that he was considering retiring from F1, but the news of Las Vegas’ addition changed his mind. It’s unclear whether the Aussie was serious about it, or was just joking.

There were other drivers with pretty interesting reactions as well. Four-time Sebastian Vettel spoke about the world famous Las Vegas casinos. “I’m sure some drivers will spend some money on the casinos”, he said. “Then they’ll try to earn it back on Sunday.”

2021 World Champion Max Verstappen added a hilarious comment, suggesting that a few drivers “may not even wake up for their race” from all the partying.

Also read: Mattia Binotto showcases his concern over teams taking unfair advantage of the budget cap

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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