From delivering on his Red Bull debut season by winning 3 races to becoming the only McLaren driver to win a race for over a decade, Daniel Ricciardo has impressed many along the way.
Unfortunately, his talent is set to depart from F1 as the former Renault driver is without a seat for next year. McLaren and Ricciardo terminated his contract on a mutual basis.
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However, things seem to go from bad to worse for Daniel Ricciardo at the moment. In the FP session in Monza, Ricciardo was caught on his team radio allegedly wanting to inflict harm on a photographer. The clip has gone viral on Twitter ever since, with fans expressing their disappointment and anger.
Daniel was at the pinnacle of his McLaren career a year ago. He had just won the Italian GP against all odds. However, things have turned out to be disappointing for him this year. The Honey-badger currently finds himself in a tough position, without a race car for next year.
On the team radio, we could hear Daniel say as he came into the pits, “These fucking idiots, man! … I’m happy to hit one of them.”
Ricciardo’s voice clip has sent Twitter into a meltdown, with many fans coming to the defense of the photographer.
F1 Twitter bashes Daniel Ricciardo after his comments on a pit-lane photographer
Adrenaline perhaps got the better of Daniel Ricciardo in Monza. Daniel is one of the nicest guys on the grid, which is what makes it tough to digest the fact that he said something like that on the radio. Fans on Twitter shared their opinions and made their feelings known about the incident.
Some fans were hurt by Daniel’s choice of words, however much he didn’t mean them.
i could accept the first line but the second one… that was so unnecessary, daniel. this isn’t it https://t.co/bwsPm5bVDC
— ads (@formulews) September 9, 2022
As a photographer, if it was just the first statement i'd agree. You've got to be careful especially in a live pitlane. The second comment, while i get its probably come from adrenalin, is just not called for https://t.co/5MOxtIUQom
— Will Pearse (@will_pearse13) September 9, 2022
nah this is actually freakish behavior how can you justify this https://t.co/SaCGH8b4Cw
— c. (@rb8abbey) September 9, 2022
😬
Not a good look for Daniel https://t.co/JVrE7jNb6w
— Cytrus 🍋 (@cytrusf1) September 9, 2022
On the other hand, some of them were furious at the McLaren driver.
sources are telling me daniel ricciardo is out of control and a threat to the paddock in general #danielricciardoisoverparty pic.twitter.com/n503xzfrd3
— meredith (@mereeedithh) September 9, 2022
he literally can’t drive like he’s so dangerous like that man almost committed manslaughter in the pit lane like honestly #danielricciardoisoverparty 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 pic.twitter.com/YvzBBnLajj
— elo ³ | TANVI DAY (@onlyangeltpwk) September 9, 2022
This is a man who would attack a poor person just doing their job #danielricciardoisoverparty pic.twitter.com/p1mjIqWtaQ
— Natty #DankeSeb 🏳️🌈 (@natty_ts70) September 9, 2022
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look at that poor poor smart man doing his job, nor interfering, meanwhile daniel was thinking about manslaughter #danielricciardoisoverparty https://t.co/1Ai8hc3Si4
— javi (@ricrodeo) September 9, 2022
Daniel Ricciardo will be looking to put this episode behind and look forward to the Qualifying sessions. Moreover, he will be desperate to repeat last year’s heroics in a bid to impress some teams.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Struggling ‘Honey Badger’ Daniel Ricciardo Once Dominated the Streets of Azerbaijan in Glorious 2017
After a dismal race in Zandvoort where Daniel finished P17, he will be hoping to bounce back on this iconic track. However, with his future still hanging my a thread, the pressure will certainly be on the Australian to perform. Can Daniel Ricciardo prove to everyone that he still belongs in F1?