“I Would Not Stand in Front of a 90 Mile an Hour Cricket Ball” – Daniel Ricciardo

Recently, Daniel Ricciardo appeared in a BBC 5 interview and spoke about life in lockdown. The host asked the Australian driver about how he deals with adrenaline. Going in a race car at 300+ km/h, would surely give any driver a huge rush.

The Renault driver noted that the trick to this was to do some breathing techniques. This is because, when the adrenaline increases, the heart rate also spikes up and people tend to get more ‘fidgety’.

He continued, “Just control the breathing and try and regulate all that to try and keep a more levelled field of emotions. A few deep breaths is always the best way to control it.”

Daniel Ricciardo also admitted that drivers have to use that adrenaline to their advantage. Nerves and energy gained before a race could potentially eat at a driver and exhaust them. On the other hand, drivers can channel that energy as fuel and use it for quick decision-making and reflexes.

What did Daniel Ricciardo say about Marcus Stoinis?

Ricciardo and Australian cricketer, Marcus Stoinis are pretty good friends, so he was brought up in the adrenaline discussion. An example was when Stoinis faced 90 mile an hour deliveries in cricket, did he get the same rush?

Ricciardo confessed, “I’m aware now of how all this works. Over time and over practice, its like F1 now. The speed feels like its slowed down because I’ve trained my body and my brain for so long. So, 300+ km/h does not feel like that kind of speed. That being said, I would not stand in front of a 90 mph cricket ball.”

At the end of the day, it may sound crazy initially, but as time passes, drivers and athletes get used to it. He also revealed that he often faced off against Marcus Stoinis, though with a tennis ball. He admitted that he is fond of backyard cricket, but Stoinis intimidates him