WATCH: Daniel Ricciardo Gets Up Close & Personal With UFC Legend Joanna Jedrzejczyk in an Intense Face Off

Each F1 race weekend, we see the top 20 drivers of the world battle against one another on track. It is a cut-throat competition where having a killer instinct is crucial for survival. Recently, his 12 years of experience in the pinnacle of motorsport helped Daniel Ricciardo show his resilience in a stare-down with the former MMA fighter, Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Ahead of the Hungarian GP, the former UFC star was present in the McLaren hospitality suite. This is where the duo engaged in an out-stare in an attempt to intimidate one another. However, the Aussie struggled to hold his laughter as he tried to recompose to challenge the Polish international.

The two of them enjoyed each other’s acquaintance as Ricciardo captioned on Instagram, “I bloody loved this haha always wanted to do it. Thanks for my first official stare down @joannajedrzejczyk!!!“

Even Jedrzejczyk could not help herself from bursting into laughter, despite having done this repeatedly in her career. She took to social media to say “@danielricciardo can you be serious for a second?😉 Stare down is a real thing😎 @mclaren 🏎”

READ MORE: Even After Race-Ruining Penalty, Daniel Ricciardo Shows Absolute Class In Unseen Moment With Lance Stroll

Later in the race, the McLaren ace pulled off a stone-cold overtake on two Alpine cars in the same corner. Following that, he commented over his team radio, “Let’s F***ing Go”. 

We wonder if the warm-up he got from the stare-down helped him in executing arguably his best move of the season so far. Do you think the Aussie should add this to his pre-race routine?

Daniel Ricciardo: A huge mixed martial arts ‘nerd’

The McLaren driver is such a big fan that he even acclaimed UFC to be the “purest level of competition.” In Beyond The Grid podcast, he said “It’s not these barbaric humans getting in a cage. It’s Mixed Martial Arts so there is an art behind it all. I’m just fascinated behind it all, Going back to competition, it’s the purest level of competition in the world.”

“It doesn’t get much more purer than that. You are literally in a cage or a ring. Mixed Martial Arts really hit me 2011 and I was just fascinated by it and drawn to it. I love it. I’m like a full nerd. Like full, full nerd with it. I’m listening to interviews, press conferences, podcasts, every day.”

Even though his job makes him experience speeds up to 300km/hr, it seems that is not enough to get the blood flowing for the 8-time Grand Prix winner. “I would love to fight to feel that rush. Yes, we get a rush racing cars but I think walking into a ring for example. Knowing that you are literally going up against someone else and that’s it. There is no one that can help you.”

“There are no excuses. Unfortunately my sport is not like that,” he added.

Watch This Story: Struggling ‘Honey Badger’ Daniel Ricciardo Once Dominated the Streets of Azerbaijan in Glorious 2017

The first half of the 2022 season concluded in a rough manner for the McLaren recruit. Nonetheless, in such times of hardship, it is the fighter-like mentality that pushes you through adversity.

Do you think the best of the Honey Badger is yet to come?