Daniel Ricciardo’s affinity for American sports is quite high. He loves the way sporting events happen in the United States with a zest of entertainment. A few years ago, the eight-time Grand Prix winner found his calling in the NFL, and since then, he has become an ardent supporter of the Buffalo Bills.
Ricciardo’s fandom for the Bills started when he befriended their quarterback, Josh Allen. Allen and Ricciardo first met at the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix. As it turns out, Ricciardo’s agent was best friends with Allen’s agent—and the duo quickly hit it off.
Getting to know Allen introduced him to different aspects of the NFL from an insider’s perspective as he started following the Bills’ games closely. Naturally, in the process of cheering his mate, Ricciardo also became a fan of the Bills.
But the Honey Badger revealed that his friendship with the #17 quarterback isn’t the only reason why he cheers for the team.
On the Ariel Helwani Show in 2021, Ricciardo revealed that the Bills’ camaraderie is something that really resonated with him.
“Like that was, I just feel the way they are, the way they rally together, the way they tailgate and everything. It’s like, it’s very much us. So yeah, I, I can, I feel like I can relate,” he explained.
Later on, when he visited a few of their practice sessions in Buffalo, the Australian driver would’ve witnessed how an NFL team bonds together to pursue their goal in their grueling sport.
However, Ricciardo’s conversation with Helwani happened before he had gone to his first Bills game at home. The host had even remarked that Ricciardo would receive a big reception when he made his debut at the Highmark Stadium.
Ricciardo made it to his first Buffalo Bills home game
Being an ardent fan of the team, the Honey Badger took three years to finally manifest his dream of visiting the Highmark Stadium to cheer for the Bills in person. And he made it happen during their match with the Miami Dolphins.
Last year, Ricciardo was at the Bills vs. Dolphins match, cheering on the team and his buddy, Allen. It was a closely contested game that ended in favor of the hosts as they beat the Miami Dolphins by a margin of 30-27.
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Ricciardo’s time in F1 seemingly came to an end after the 2024 Singapore GP. Racing Bulls decided to replace the Australian with Liam Lawson, and since then, the #3 driver has been enjoying his time off with a tour of the US.
The Bills’ game was just one of those stops, and naturally, Ricciardo had the time of his life supporting his favorite NFL team along with his quarterback friend. With no plans to return to F1 for the foreseeable future, the Perth-born driver may plan visits to watch some more NFL games later this year.
