Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most popular F1 stars today. He lost his seat with McLaren at the end of the 2022 season, and won’t be in the grid full-time in 2023. Despite that, he remains one of the most recognizable faces in the sport.
Ricciardo is particularly fond of the United States of America, and the crowd there seems to love him too. Every year ahead of the US Grand Prix, no driver is as excited as Ricciardo. He loves traveling to Austin, Texas, and repeatedly insisted on how much the state feels like home.
Ahead of this year’s race in COTA, Ricciardo took time out to talk to stars of some of the most popular American sports. In a promotional video shot for the F122 game, Ricciardo sat down with Patrick Beverly and Derwin James. Other than playing the game, they also spoke about the sport as a whole. Some of the facts shared by the former Renault driver left Beverly and James completely baffled.
Daniel Ricciardo tells Pat Beverly why F1 drivers have ‘fat necks’
F1 is a growing sport in the US. Over the last few years, its popularity has soared in America, but room for even more growth remains. Beverly and James, however, play sports that are much more popular in the country.
Beverly is a veteran of the NBA and has played for some big NBA teams, including both the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. James meanwhile, is a star in the NFL and had his contract with the Los Angeles Chargers extended ahead of the 2022 season. He was a first-round pick in the 2018 draft.
While talking to Ricciardo, James was stunned to know that F1 drivers have all four tires changed within just three seconds. The Perth-born driver then explained what driving an F1 car actually feels like.
“You ever been in a roller coaster?” he asked. “So you know in a roller coaster when it turns and you feel like you’re kind of getting like pushed out of it, that’s what it’s like in an F1 car because it’s called G-force. So, we’re getting 5Gs, that’s why we got fat necks.”
Where will Ricciardo be in 2023?
Midway into the 2022 season, McLaren announced that Ricciardo won’t continue with them in 2023. The Aussie’s young compatriot and 2021 F2 Champion Oscar Piastri will replace him at the Woking-based outfit.
Ricciardo meanwhile, insisted that he does not want to stay back in F1 and drive for a backmarker team. This is why he made the decision to join Red Bull as a reserve driver for the 2023 season.
