We know it, you know it and now it’s clear that entire world knows it — Daniel Ricciardo is the rock star of the F1 grid.
He may never have been a world champion (his best driver’s championship result was third in 2014 and 2016), he may have traded the powerhouse Red Bull team for struggle at Renault, McLaren and AlphaTauri over the past five years, and he has eight wins in 237 races, but there’s no doubt the 34-year-old Aussie is one of the biggest names in the sport.
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It’s why year after year, regardless of his results, Ricciardo has been at the forefront of the Drive To Survive series and is being discussed as the main contender for a return to the Red Bull seat he vacated should the team look to move on from Sergio Perez.
With the sport heading back to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982 in next weekend’s Grand Prix, the city is already catching F1 fever.
It’s seen rock legends U2 take a short hiatus from their residency at the Sphere at the Venetian following their final show on November 4, with the band returning from December 1 and through to February.
U2 frontman Bono signed off from this leg of their residency with a speech about what Formula One is, before introducing his bandmates as F1 drivers.
“As I mentioned, we’re going on a little break after tonight,” the Irishman said.
“We’re giving Las Vegas back to Formula One actually we’re giving it to.
“Now, if you don’t know what Formula One is, it’s a sport where very tidy, lean, mean men and some extraordinary women climb onto rockets and try to stay on Earth and not achieve orbit, something like that.
“A little like rock and roll actually — less dangerous.
“One of the four great things out of Holland – on the drums, Max Verstappen!” Bono said of drummer Larry Mullen Jr.
“On the bass, the most elegant man on the circuit. Who is it, who is it? Lewis Hamilton on the bass,” Bono said of bassist Adam Clayton.
“On guitar, the Monaco model himself, Charles Leclerc,” Bono said of guitarist Edge.
But he saved the best for himself.
“I’m at home with country music and metal and I am the right person to bring peace between Formula One and NASCAR – on vocals, Daniel Ricciardo,” Bono said, although he gave a distinctly Italian flare to the Aussie star’s name.
While the speech went down flat with some — Planet F1’s Thomas Maher wrote it was “particularly cheesy” — plenty of Ricciardo fans were happy the AlphaTauri driver claimed his place as the frontman of F1’s superstar band.
One fan wrote: “Bono = Daniel Ricciardo. Amazing!”
Another commented: “Be still my @U2 and Formula 1 loving heart … tonight Bono said they’d be taking a break in Vegas for Formula 1 and introduced Bram as Max Verstappen, Adam as Lewis Hamilton, The Edge as Charles Leclerc and himself as Danny Ricciardo!!!”
Another posted: “Two of my favourite worlds collided. Bono called Lewis the most elegant and Charles a Monaco model. He called himself Daniel Ricciardo and that’s how big DR3 is.”
Another fan said: “Bono and Daniel Ricciardo – my 2 fave icons.”
Ricciardo was expecting to be away from the track for a full season after his ugly McLaren exit, but was thrust into an AlphaTauri seat after Nyck De Vries was cut loose mid-season.
As a Red Bull reserve driver, Ricciardo was expected to attend only a few races, but was never going to miss the Las Vegas GP if he could avoid it.
While Ricciardo has only participated in five races this year after he broke his hand, he has already moved up to 17th on the driver’s championship after his seventh-place finish in Mexico.
However, he was handed a brutal reality check in Brazil where he was taken out by one of Kevin Magnussen’s tyres which hit his car, meaning he and fellow Aussie Oscar Piastri started a lap behind the rest of the grid upon the restart of the race.