Daniel Ricciardo grabs first place in Chinese Grand Prix

Australian driver for Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo, defied all expectations by winning the Chinese Grand Prix, pulling in before Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen on April 15. Due to the fact that Ricciardo started in 20th during the final race which is the second last position (CNN), his win caused a lot of surprise among Formula 1 fans who were shocked by Ricciardo’s ability. “I was really happy when Daniel Ricciardo won – especially because during the final practice on Saturday, his engine blew up, which almost caused him to miss [the qualifiers],” said Isha Shirsat (8C).

The final race wasn’t looking good for the Australian driver for the first 30 laps; however, the safety car came out during the 31st lap in the 56 lap race that allowed Ricciardo to change his worn out tires for new ones. Ricciardo’s driving remained steady for the first several laps, however after he gained the lead, his driving started to become more fierce and strong. He became more confident as he managed to lead the race and overtake Bottas, Räikkönen, Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel, who are the leaders in this year’s Formula One Championship. The leading drivers at the time could not change their tires quickly enough and had to run the race with old tires. Slowly but steadily, Ricciardo started gaining lead among the racers and started getting quicker. By the 45th lap of the race, Ricciardo had already taken the lead and managed to keep the lead until the end of the race (Los Angeles Times).

Daniel Ricciardo, who is known for his swift overtakes, is a young racer and just recently has begun to be noticed by the media. His unique humor, quirk, and laid-back manner earned him the nickname “honey badger.” He says that a honey badger seems innocent and harmless, “but if someone steps on this little guy’s turf, if someone upsets him . . . mate, he’s the most fearless, most vicious creature in all the Animal Kingdom.” (The Advertiser)

In order to honor this nickname, he also inked a picture of a honey badger on the back of his helmet. After being given his trophy and a bottle of champagne, he performed a champagne shoey on the stands. A ‘shoey’ is an Australian tradition that is said to be a bringer of good luck and fortune. Ricciardo took off his left shoe and poured the champagne into it, he then proceeded to down the whole thing which brought cheers and laughter from the crowd.

Featured Image Courtesy of Morio via Wikimedia Commons