Daniel Ricciardo is currently enjoying a quiet winter break ahead of what promises to be a make-or-break season for him in terms of winning back his seat at Red Bull. For many, the Honey Badger appears to be on the road to redemption given his performances for AlphaTauri in the second-half of last season, after he was given the full-time role to replace Nyck de Vries.
As long as he can maintain his level, Ricciardo seems certain to be the ‘main candidate‘ in Red Bull’s wish-list to replace the under-fire Perez, who was once again disappointing despite notching his best-ever career finish behind world champion Max Verstappen.
Ricciardo always seems to find a way to enjoy his time, be it in the sport in front of cameras or away from it as he relaxes, but it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have any insecurities.
The Australian driver spoke about how the size of his nose is his biggest insecurity when it comes to his physical appearance, but also revealed that he has come to terms with it.
Coming from an Italian heritage, Ricciardo used to get stressed out over the size of his nose, but the fact that it has made him recognisable in front of F1 audiences means that he takes it in his stride.
“We were made, obviously, to look unique in ourselves, and we have to embrace that and be comfortable,” Ricciardo said.
“That [the nose] is what makes me, me, and whatever your features are, make you, you. I’m totally okay with that.”
The fact that he didn’t opt for any surgical procedure to change his appearance shows that Ricciardo is confident about his appearance and although it may have bothered him in the past, it is something he has come to terms with.
Ricciardo loves how he looks
Appearing as a guest on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show in February last year, Ricciardo was asked why he believes he is so popular among F1 fans.
The eight-time Grand Prix winner had a pretty tongue-in-cheek response, claiming that it was his ‘good looks’ that made people adore him and saw his surge in popularity across the US.
However, on a more serious note, Ricciardo credited the success of the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive for introducing a number of new fans to the sport. Although the depiction is not always accurate, Ricciardo is happy to see that it has helped expand the overall reach of the sport.