Daniel Ricciardo admits he was ’embarrassed’ by pit lane horse stunt in Texas as Haas boss hands Formula One lifeline to Aussie star after McLaren axe
Daniel Ricciardo has admitted being a ‘little embarrassed’ by his latest stunt, which involved him trot into the paddock on a horseback in full cowboy gear on Thursday.
Well renown for his appreciation of American culture, the Australian took his admiration to a whole new level ahead this weekend’s US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Decked in a Stars-and-Stripes jacket and Stetson hat, Ricciardo rode a horse into the pitlane as country singer Rob Baird sang his appropriately titled ‘Dreams and Gasoline.’
Daniel Ricciardo said he was ‘slightly embarrassed’ after riding into the pitlane on a horse ahead of the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas
Footage of the McLaren driver’s arrival in the paddock swiftly went viral after the team posted it on Twitter, but the Aussie admitted he was very self-conscious about his stunt.
‘[We thought] it will bring a little bit of extra atmosphere into the paddock,’ Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1.
‘As we know, Thursdays are kind of quiet.
‘So it was cool. Really nice to do it. I mean, I was a little embarrassed at first but I was like: “You know what, just have some fun”.’
Asked about his his hoofed friend, the 33-year-old replied: ‘[Horsey McHorse] is his nickname. We didn’t know Blue’s name at the time of getting the credentials, but I feel Horsey McHorse might be where it stays.’
While Ricciardo is trying to raise a smile in the paddock, his immediate future remains somewhat more serious.
The eight-time Grand Prix winner will leave McLaren at the end of the season, despite having still 12 months to run on his three-year deal.
Ricciardo rode a horse into the pitlane in Austin alongside country singer Rob Baird
The Australian was decked in a Stars-and-Stripes jacket and Stetson hat
And he revealed the idea stemmed from wanting to bring some fun into the paddock on Thursday, which is traditionally considered ‘a quiet day’
The Woking-based team is set to replace Ricciardo with fellow Australian Oscar Piastri and have agreed to pay the former Red Bull star $14million to part ways a year earlier than anticipated.
Earlier this month, Ricciardo conceded he will not be on the grid next season, but insisted he was determined to return to Formula One in 2024.
The uncompetitive Williams and Haas currently the only teams yet to finalise their line-ups ahead of 2023, after Alpine signed Pierre Gasly and Alpha Tauri replaced him with Dutchman Nyck de Vries.
Ricciardo will leave McLaren at the end of the season, a year earlier than expected
The Australian has endured two very difficult seasons with McLaren since joining in 2021
However, Haas boss Guenther Steiner has offered Ricciardo a Formula One lifeline.
‘If he’s interested in us, he’s not shy to call me up. I am not going to chase him down,’ Steiner told the Associated Press ahead of the US Grand Prix.
‘I want him to decide what he wants to do for himself first before being talked into something.
Haas boss Guenther Steiner has offered Ricciardo a Formula One lifeline
‘I think he’s a good driver and I don’t know how he got in the situation he’s in now, but I think he needs to come clean with himself and decide what he’s going to do.’
Haas are yet to renew Mick Schumacher’s contract for 2023 and Steiner suggested hiring Ricciardo would represent a major coup.
‘For us he would be a big hit. He was a race winner and now he is without a job,’ he said.
‘He was a race winner just last year. I rate him as a driver, I have no idea why he doesn’t perform right now. That is for him to figure out.’
