Daniel Ricciardo’s Cricket Gesture Leaves Sainz in a Limbo Ahead of Belgian GP

Daniel Ricciardo will take part in his 200th F1 race at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend. And of course, the Australian ensured he added an element of humor in the pre-race press conference earlier today.

Hailing from Australia, Ricciardo referenced an iconic term from the sport of cricket to signal his intentions for the rest of the 2021 season.

Daniel Ricciardo makes cricket gesture during press conference at the Belgian GP

Australia has quite a rich history in sports. In Formula One, the country has produced 17 drivers, out of which Jack Brabham and Alan Jones are the only ones to become world champions. However, Ricciardo and Mark Webber feature along with the two of them to be the only ones to win a Grand Prix.

In cricket, Australia boast an impressive standing in the world. While they have five World Cups, some of the best cricketers to play the game hail from the Oceanian country. One of the key achievements in the game is scoring 200 runs in a single match, which is called a double century.

During the press conference today, Ricciardo was asked about taking part in his 200th race this weekend. While he performed the traditional front foot action seen by many batsmen on the cricket pitch, Ricciardo used the reference to outline his aspirations from the 12 races that remain.

In addition, the 32-year-old also mentioned how people who don’t know cricket would fail to understand the reference. He said, “Playing on the front foot! Anyone who doesn’t know cricket is like, ‘what is he doing’?”

One among those people was Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard, who sat beside Ricciardo in the press conference, simply asked, “What does it mean?” Given Spain isn’t a country which plays cricket, the Ferrari driver’s reaction seems justified.

READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo Reveals the Most Embarrassing Moment in His F1 Career

Can Ricciardo bag big points in Belgium?

Although the Australian’s season has been filled with ups and downs, Spa presents a good opportunity for him to bring a strong points finish for McLaren.

In fact, one of his seven career race wins came at this circuit in 2014. Last season, he finished fourth with Renault at this track. Hence, all signs point towards a strong performance from Ricciardo to begin the second half of the season.

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