Two days ago, Daniel Ricciardo paid the United States of America a visit. And while his trip was business-related, he was scheduled to pay South African funny man, Trevor Noah, a visit.
Noah heads up one of the world’s most popular talk shows in The Daily Show, and will often have famous guests visiting him. And on 3 February 2020, one of the evening’s guests was none other than Ricciardo.
The Australian, now driving for the Renault Formula 1 team, came out with his broad smile and drew a massive cheer from the crowd. In typical Ricciardo fashion, he brought his dry sense of humour, his quick responses, and the necessary energy to pull things through.
Noah questioned the F1 driver about the upcoming ‘Drive to Survive’ series on Netflix, to which Ricciardo responded that the series helped the sport gain traction in the USA.
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Ricciardo's move to Renault
Following four years at Red Bull Racing, Ricciardo swapped seats and joined Renault for the 2019 and 2020 F1 seasons. 2019 was an up and down year for the Australian, as he had to do his utmost to get Renault out of the rut the team was in. 2019 had its moments, but the team had to settle for fifth place in the constructors' championship - one position behind engine-customer, McLaren.
2020 will be an important year for Renault. On the one hand, they have to beat McLaren to fourth place in the overall standings, while on the other they have to give Ricciardo a competitive car. In so doing, they will attempt to keep the driver's services going into the very important 2021 season.
Ricciardo is one of the drivers earmarked to replace Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari next year. Given his race craft, skill behind the steering wheel, and Italian genes, Ricciardo is one of the Scuderia's first choices.
The 2020 F1 season begins in earnest on 13 - 15 March at the Australian GP.