Daniel Ricciardo was heard wanting to inflict some harm on a photographer in the pitlane during the FP session of the Italian GP.
Daniel Ricciardo is facing a tough year with McLaren. It seems he will not have a seat in F1 in 2023 after the Australian and the Woking-based team have mutually decided to terminate his contract.
Ricciardo has always been a sensation on the grid for his impressive performance since his days in Red Bull. He won three races in his debut season with Red Bull and as his F1 career progressed, he also brought McLaren their first win in over a decade.
The Honey badger had won the 2021 Italian GP in an unexpected turn of events. But the rest of his performance at McLaren has been quite underwhelming. He has been outperformed by his teammate Lando Norris on several occasions.
In the FP session of the 2022 Italian GP, Ricciardo was heard fuming at a photographer in the pitlane over the radio.
Daniel almost hits a photographer in the pit lane.
“These fucking idiots, man! … I’m happy to hit one of them.” pic.twitter.com/TyZjAVIHbO
— meredith (@mereeedithh) September 9, 2022
As he came into the pits, the Australian driver said, “These fucking idiots, man! … I’m happy to hit one of them.”
It seems the adrenaline of the rush hour got the best of Ricciardo as he made his anger known. The F1 fans were not impressed by the comments and bashed the 33-year-old for his comments.
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Daniel Ricciardo open for a reserve role with Mercedes
Since the termination of his contract with McLaren, the question of where will Ricciardo go in 2023 has been looming in the paddock.
While many expect the Australian to go back to his old team, Alpine(previously known as Renault), others believe that he might actually take a year off from the sport.
Amid the chaos, talks about him being a potential reserve driver for Mercedes have also appeared. And the Honey badger is open to the opportunity while he says that his priority is a race drive in F1.
“The truth is I’m keeping every option open, not just for next year, but for the future,” Ricciardo said when asked about the link to Mercedes. “I still don’t know what next year looks like.
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