F1 Rumor: Daniel Ricciardo To Make Appearance At United States GP For Austin Honor

Saajan Jogia | Oct 14, 2024

May 5, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; RB driver Daniel Ricciardo (3) walks in the paddock before the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Former VCARB Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo could make a return at the upcoming United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas this weekend. Event organizers had planned to honor Ricciardo with the "Keys to the City." Despite his departure from the team following the Singapore Grand Prix, he is still expected to be invited due to his massive fan base in Austin.

The Australian driver endured a challenging 2024 Formula 1 season, struggling to score points and frequently being outperformed by his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. Due to his underwhelming performance, Red Bull decided to part ways with Ricciardo, who was driving for its junior team. He was replaced by Liam Lawson, who showcased strong performances last year while performing reserve driver duties for Ricciardo.

Ricciardo was widely loved for his charm and friendly demeanor, which made his exit a point of contention among fans who were dissatisfied with how the sport handled his departure. The 35-year-old's exit from VCARB wasn’t officially announced during the race weekend, but his fastest lap, emotional post-race interviews, and growing speculation made it clear.

Considering that he is loved so much by the people of Austin, F1 photographer Kym Illman revealed on Instagram that Ricciardo could be invited to the sporting event to be honored by being offered the keys to the city of Austin. He wrote:

"It was planned for Daniel Ricciardo to be honoured by the city of Austin with the "Keys to the City" during next weekend's US GP. However, given the Aussie driver was relieved of his driving duties by VCarb after the last race, he will almost certainly not be in attendance at COTA.

"The organisers of the event know only too well how big a drawcard Daniel was for Austin but I understand at some point down the track, the city will make good with the offer and present him with the ceremonial keys to Austin."

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Illman's post comes just days after Circuit of the Americas (COTA) chairman, Bobby Epstein, expressed his hope that Ricciardo would attend the USGP race weekend at COTA. He told the media:

“Daniel, he may be able to have just as big an impact out of the car as he has in it at our grand prix.

“I’m not sure that necessarily people are buying tickets to come see him race if he’s not in a competitive car, right?

“So if you’re coming because he’s part of the F1 community, I think he can still be part of the F1 community in a pretty meaningful way.

“He’s really, really loved in Texas, and I think he likes it here.

“And so I would hope that he makes himself available more to the fans than he would otherwise be if he had an obligation in the car.

“I hope he’s still coming here, because we’ve got a lot of people who would love to shake his hand or get his autograph or take a picture. Just see him around town. We’ll keep him busy.”