F1 can be a funny business. The sport sees the rise of new talent – potential world champions. At the same time, it can be merciless enough to take away the luster from the stars. A veteran like Daniel Ricciardo has seen both sides of the story. Just a few weeks ago, his career was veering toward the chasm of the unknown. But now, he’s once again emerged as a contender for the second seat at Red Bull. Yes, Red Bull has retained Sergio Perez, but Ricciardo’s chances have brightened compared to before.

The Aussie was catching up on life and racing with Autosport at the Belgian GP. He shared his experiences since his comeback – a second chance at F1, rather. “It is funny business,” Ricciardo grinned. He has experienced both his prime and his fall from grace. However, the smiling guy of F1 hasn’t given up. Daniel Ricciardo didn’t have a break from motorsport in his Bingo cards. But he is happy to have experienced that as well.

Daniel Ricciardo shared, “Having the time off last year allowed me to come back into this business and handle these things much better. I laugh about it a little bit. I weirdly enjoy it. Is it a bit stressful? Yes. But you know what? It’s a crazy world, it’s a crazy sport, and it’s fun to be a part of it.” The pressure on drivers is immense, and survival can be crucial. Ricciardo faced this pressure at Red Bull with Vettel and Verstappen, but his time at McLaren was a bigger setback.

Ricciardo struggled with the McLaren cars and soon lost his seat to rookie Oscar Piastri. This swap was tough for Nicole Piastri, as she felt bad her son was replacing someone who’s so dearly loved by the fans. But now, after Danny’s recent interview, Mama Piastri can find peace as one of her regrets has been resolved.

Nicole Piastri shares her reaction to learning her son would replace Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren

More than great news, Oscar Piastri‘s McLaren debut came as a shock for his mum. There are two reasons behind her reaction. First, Oscar was supposedly joining Alpine but now he wasn’t. Second, he was replacing Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren. More importantly, Mrs. Piastri felt bad for Danny, because everyone loves him. Moreover, he’s Australian. Nicole told The Red Flags Podcast: “I’m like so what color are we wearing? Are we wearing like navy and pink ’cause I’m thinking Alpine and he (Oscar) is like no it’s orange. And I’m like oh my God- McLaren. That was new to me, I did not see that coming.”

She added: “I was like that’s amazing and then it dawned on me what that means and I was like oh no wait, oh my God! and he’s nodding. I said oh my God, Daniel. I love Daniel and he’s like just dead pan, ‘yep everybody loves Daniel’.” Nicole concluded: “It’s crazy everybody loves Daniel, couldn’t have written that better and he actually said of all the F1 drivers ever Daniel is the worst one to be replacing. He’s so funny, oh my god and from Australia.” She was skeptical about the move. To a large extent it implies she didn’t want both homeboys to turn bitter towards each other.

But thanks to Oscar Piastri’s debut, Danny Ric got his time off from F1. This gave him a fresh perspective. Was he desperate to return? Of course, but it wasn’t very easy. Why would any team want a driver on break? However, the opportunity came in the form of Nyck de Vries and the rest is history. Now, Mama Piastri can be a little relieved that her son’s debut did not disturb Ricciardo’s peace, instead, it just helped him relax and pick his pieces.