Flamboyant Daniel Ricciardo’s Role at Red Bull Decoded in Two Words: “Almost Came Out and Just Said That”

F1 was arguably struggling with its popularity when Liberty Media bought the sports’ right from Bernie Ecclestone. After the American mass media company took over, the top tier of motorsports began to blossom, thanks in large part to the success of Drive to Survive, which increased interest in the sport both at home and abroad. But before that happened, even if the world was aware of the sport’s legends, something was still missing. And that something was the effects of social media, which gave sports a fresh life. And as a result of social media, not only the teams and the drivers but also the sport as a whole started to gain popularity. Hence, although this might sound strange, is the sole reason why Red Bull signed a contract with the flamboyant Daniel Ricciardo.

The Honey Badger was offered a seat by numerous teams soon after McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo opted to mutually end their relationship before entering the final year of his contract. Perhaps one of the reasons why the 33-year-old is in such great demand is that Ricciardo engages with the crowd more than any other F1 driver. However, Ricciardo, who made it quite clear that he will only join a team that can provide him with something special, appears to be seduced by the Red Bull offer. But what was it that convinced the Austrian team to recruit Ricciardo?

In a recent episode of the VF1 Show podcast, Vicenzo Landino outlined in two words why Red Bull signed the flamboyant Australian. He said, “Daniel was consistently the number one driver for engagement across social media. Now he doesn’t have the highest numbers, right? Lewis [Hamilton] has more than him, Charles [Leclerc]. But Daniel always had the highest engagement with his fans showed up.”

“I mean, Red Bull put it out there in their statement. It was pretty much like, oh, he’s gonna be involved in all the marketing stuff and test drives and all that. I mean, they’re literally using him as a marketing tool.”

“ They almost came out and just said that, right? The only reason we’re using you is from marketing.”

READ MORE: Exhausted Daniel Ricciardo Shares “Tricky” Life Experiences Beyond Glitz & Glamor of F1

After a dismal four-year spell, Daniel Ricciardo has rejoined Red Bull as a reserve driver, where he will help the team with marketing and simulator tasks. However, there are rumors that Sergio Perez may feel more pressure now that he is a member of the team. Ricciardo, though, had opposing views when asked.

Daniel Ricciardo expresses his opinion on replacing Sergio Perez

The Milton Keynes team may be put under a lot of pressure if Checo Perez didn’t perform well after crowd favorite Daniel Ricciardo joins the squad. And if Sergio Perez fails, it’s evident that the fans will want Ricciardo, an eight-time Grand Prix winner, to replace the Mexican driver. Yet, when asked for his thoughts on the situation, Ricciardo emphasized that he is totally happy in his current position and that he genuinely needs a break after 12 years of nonstop effort.

While conversing with SkySports, Ricciardo said, “I will give everything I can in the simulator, the races I go to I’ll be in the meetings and I have no problem talking to Max and Checo [Perez], trying to share any insights and try to be the best team member I can.”

“That’s really where my heads at. I think as well because I personally I do really want the time off, I’m not waiting like, ‘give me that chance’. I’m very happy to be where I’m at right now.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Daniel Ricciardo’s Best Moments in F1

This year’s Formula 1 season will be missing a driver of Daniel Ricciardo’s caliber. But do you believe this will have an impact on the overall viewership of the sport?