Ricciardo using purple helmet in testing in tribute to Kobe Bryant
Ricciardo using purple helmet in testing in tribute to Kobe Bryant
Daniel Ricciardo says he is still hungry for success as 'I haven't got my world title yet', offering the late Basketball player Kobe Bryant as an inspiration.
For pre-season testing, Ricciardo has adopted a purple helmet as a tribute to former LA Lakers NBA player Bryant who died in a helicopter crash in January. The helmet, in the colour of the Lakers, features the phrase 'Mamba Mentality' on the top and KB24 on the side.
“Unfortunately, I never did meet him,” said Ricciardo. “I honestly never saw him play live either, but I don’t know. For me, it was one of those ones where you – I guess every basketball player, everyone in the NBA was always going to do something and I think that’s expected.
Are Ferrari deliberately underperforming in pre-season testing?Read more
“He touched people all around the world, but I think that when other disciplines of sport show the significance of what someone else did – I never played basketball, I can’t relate to that, but it doesn’t mean I can’t admire someone of that calibre and how he changed the game.
“Obviously, I was a fan of him and I guess what he represented, what he brought to the sport, but just as me trying to get to the top of my sport, I idolise him creating such a legacy, his work ethic and him standing out from the pack.”
Ricciardo continued by comparing the ease of being able to play certain sports on day to day basis while it is impossible to drive a Formula One car day in, day out. The Australian says that this could be why it takes longer for a Formula One driver to reach their peak than a sportsman competing elsewhere.
“If we drove our car every day, we’d probably reach our peak a lot sooner, but because I haven’t driven an F1 car in three months or something," said Ricciardo.
"I feel like you don’t ever drive enough to ever really be perfect at it, so I think, for as long as my career goes, as long as I’ve got the hunger in me to want to get better and learning, I’ll probably continue to do that."
Entering into his second season with the Renault team, the seven-time grand prix winner says that he is hungry to return to the top.
“Just because something worked five years ago, I don’t want to just still rely on only that now. It’s just keeping open minded," added Ricciardo.
“But I think, more than anything, I’m still hungry to win. I haven’t got my world title yet, so that in itself is going to keep driving me to find answers and, within the team, work harder.”
Driving the R.S.20 in the afternoon on Wednesday and the morning on Thursday, Ricciardo is pleased with his initial runs in the new car.
“My second lap of the day was a 19.0 or something. We were sub-20s very quickly and I think that was a bit of familiarity, getting into the car the second year now, but it certainly did have initial good impressions.”
Esteban Ocon takes over driving once again for Thursday afternoon, Renault again splitting the time between both drivers.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
McLaren star sets staggering new F1 RECORD
- 58 minutes ago
Hamilton relationship 'ENDS' as F1 legend looks for celebrity date
- 1 hour ago
F1 team boss lends support to Alonso amid HUGE backlash
- 2 hours ago
Mercedes driver reveals unique BENEFIT to being Verstappen’s team-mate
- 3 hours ago
Wolff WARNS Hamilton about Ferrari competitiveness
- Today 09:12
F1 owners ‘close’ to stunning £3.5 BILLION takeover of motorsport rival
- Today 08:27
F1 Race Calendar
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRALIA
22 - 24 Mar
Carlos Sainz
- GP JAPAN 5 - 7 Apr
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
- GP MONACO 24 - 26 May
Related news
Marko delivers BIG update after Ricciardo given reported 'ULTIMATUM'
Ricciardo set to be replaced at Japanese Grand Prix
Key Red Bull decision-maker blasts 'too slow' Ricciardo
Ricciardo admits RB uncertainty after home race horror
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860