Ricciardo: 'I was hoping the engine would fail'

Daniel Ricciardo's shoeys, who doesn't know them? The last time this tradition took place was after his Monza victory with McLaren in 2021. In the ESPN podcast Unlapped the Australian addresses fan questions about shoeys and the toughest race he has ever driven, among other things.

When the 33-year-old does a shoey on the podium, the others on the podium usually have to do one too. Lewis Hamilton already stated once that it is not a great experience. Ricciardo says that when you drink from a used racing shoe, the taste is quite salty. Yet he laughingly manages to turn it into a positive thing:

“We do crave salts after a race because we are dehydrated so I kind of am helping my competitors out which is admirable. It’s noble.”

Singapore 2011, 'toughest race ever'

When asked which race the Red Bull Racing reserve driver experienced as the toughest in his career, he quickly answers Singapore 2011. He describes that particular race as "misery".

“It was like my fourth or fifth race in Formula 1, ‘cause I got thrown in halfway through the season and I did not anticipate how hot and physical Singapore was. It was a two hour race, so it was the longest race I had ever done, the hottest, the most physical, and I broke my wing, I think, on lap one. I think I was already a lap down in a car that was probably always gonna end four or five laps down. So, I wasn’t in the race from the start so I didn’t really have anything to race for and physically I was just spent.”

Ricciardo says he was almost hoping the engine would fail. He says he has since put more focus on training sessions to ensure he can better withstand the heat experienced during races like Singapore or Malaysia.