Daniel Ricciardo and Josh Allen first met at the 2019 Monaco GP. Only a couple of years later, the duo had developed a significant bond. In 2021, Daniel Ricciardo in an interview suggested that his relationship with Josh Allen is like the one shown in the movie “Step Brothers”. However, despite being super close to the Bills’ Quarterback, it was Patrick Mahomes’ glory that grabbed Daniel Ricciardo’s comeback credit. But why Patrick Mahomes’ glory?

Not only does the American Audience love Daniel Ricciardo, but the Australian loves the American culture and sports as much as a US citizen does. He drove Dale Earnhardt’s NASCAR around COTA in 2021 and has been a constant visitor to the Super Bowls. Although the Honey Badger is a Buffalo Bills fan, he recently suggested that Patrick Mahomes and Co’s recent triumph was what sparked the flame inside him to make an F1 comeback. 

Daniel Ricciardo went to this year’s Super Bowl and witnessed Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. It was a tight and competitive game where Mahomes threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and brought the Chiefs back from a 10-point deficit. Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl LVII’s Most Valuable Player. In a recent interview, Ricciardo suggested it was the competitive environment at the Super Bowl that made him tick.

According to Formula1’s YouTube video, Daniel Ricciardo said, “It was probably around the time I went to the Super Bowl. And I think being in a competitive environment, obviously, I wasn’t competing, plot Twist. But yeah, just kind of feeling that sport and being there. Like that moment, that was where I started getting some of those feelings back. I could feel a lot of it and I was like ‘this feeling hasn’t gone yet’, like the competition, like I would just want to be under the lights and just compete right now.”

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What really matters is that the biggest smile in F1 is back and along with that, the fans’ smiles are also back. However, as happy as we all are for the Australian, one must feel for Nyck de Vries who was sacked even before the mid-season. 

Daniel Ricciardo’s move means Nyck de Vries’ F1 career might’ve only lasted 10 races

Nyck de Vries wasn’t a slow driver by any means. Getting up to the speed of the F2 cars can be tricky. Alex Albon is an excellent example. The Thai driver was sacked by Red Bull for not performing up to the level. However, Albon is the one in the headlines these days with his Stellar performance, putting Williams in the points. The hosts of a podcast recently suggested that Nyck de Vries was a super quick driver who won the F2 and Formula-E series. However, the competitive nature of F1 meant the Dutchman couldn’t survive more than 10 races.

According to the Fast and the Curious podcast, one of the hosts said, “Everyone is focusing on Daniel Ricciardo. You can be pleased that Daniel’s back and simultaneously feel sorry for Nyck De Vries, a driver who is extremely talented. He’s won Formula 2. You don’t do that without being really good. He’s won Formula E, a hugely competitive racing series. He waited a long time for his F1 debut and it lasted 10 races. And you hear me say all the time, it’s a brutal sport. Nyck De Vries’ F1 career may well have lasted 10 races, and that is brutal.”

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What do you think about Daniel Ricciardo’s comeback story?