Hilarious moment Daniel Ricciardo hits McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the face with a space hopper as pair prepare to resume their rivalry at British Grand Prix
- Daniel Ricciardo has smacked his teammate with a childhood space hopper toy
- Norris was visibly caught off guard by the shot to the face before the British GP
- Aussie has placed ahead of Norris at last two races after facing heavy pressure
McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo took a cheeky shot at teammate Lando Norris before Sunday’s British Grand Prix – smacking the youngster square in the face with a space hopper toy in a mock race at Silverstone.
Both drivers were asked to take part in a comical race on happy hoppers at the famous track in Northamptonshire, 120km north-west of London.
Norris and Ricciardo took off down the straight, with the Aussie quickly getting into a winning rhythm and taking off past Norris within seconds.
The British driver wasn’t going to cop that, so he stood up with toy in hand and ran past the former Red Bull star.
Ricciardo jumps off his happy hooper and launches it into the face of McLaren teammate Lando Norris – who was caught off guard by the toy shot
Ricciardo smooths over his hit on teammate Lando Norris before the two take on the Silverstone circuit for the British GP on July 4
Ricciardo then launched his hopper into Norris’s unsuspecting face, taking him completely by surprise before the two laughed it off.
F1 Reaction Pictures posted the funny stunt to Twitter with the caption: ‘Wait till DTS sees this’, referring to the infamous Drive To Survive Netflix series that follows the drama of the F1 circuit.
Ricciardo later tweeted with the sole caption: ‘He’s ok’, which got him 125,000 likes.
McLaren has had a tough season to date, sitting fourth in the constructors championship as Ricciardo’s future as an F1 driver has come under intense scrutiny.
Ricciardo sits six places behind McLaren’s poster boy Norris, who finished third in Italy and has 35 more points than the Australian.
Team boss Andreas Seidl apologised to the pair after the Canadian Grand Prix when poor car adjustments led the McLaren drivers to finish 11th and 15th.
‘We didn’t give Lando or Daniel the package they deserved today, so we have to offer them an apology,’ the German 46-year-old said.
‘We have to use this as an opportunity to learn, and come back stronger in two weeks for our home race at Silverstone.’
Daniel Ricciardo leads the McLaren team with Lando Norris in pursuit at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona
Ricciardo’s best finish for McLaren this season was sixth at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne back in April, and there are persistent rumours that he will be replaced by American IndyCar star Colton Herta.
The former Renault driver has eased the pressure placed on him in recent weeks, finishing ahead of Norris at both the Azerbaijan and Canadian Grand Prix.
