Daniel Ricciardo pushes back on claims F1 drivers look down on IndyCar ahead of first Indy 500 visit
The idea that Formula 1 drivers sit behind a velvet rope and look down at the IndyCar Series has been a talking point for a while. American racing driver Conor Daly has said that the series deserves “more respect from over there.” So, when Daniel Ricciardo joined him on his Speed Street podcast ahead of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, the question was quickly asked.
The eight-time grand prix winner was quick to dismiss the suggestion that F1 drivers look down at their oval-racing colleagues.
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“Yeah, there’s definitely respect for it,” he said. “There was never a discussion like, ‘we’re the best, F1’s this, we’re up here’ – like no. As a kid sure, for me F1 was where I wanted to be, and I was a fan of [Ayrton] Senna and all of that growing up, so that was a big part of what I wanted to do.
“But it was never like, we’re here and everyone else is there. I think when you get to a level, you know what’s involved in racing.”
The hierarchy that fanbases construct online certainly isn’t the one operating within the paddock. Ricciardo continued: “There’s definitely not a ‘we’re cooler than you guys’ – there’s none of that. And at least I never experienced that. I think we all just ultimately love racing, and you guys do a very different discipline – especially obviously the oval stuff compared to the circuit racing, what we do with a ton of downforce and all that. But it’s different.”
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Back in 2022, the Australian was clear that oval racing scares him. “F*** that,” he said. “Ovals scare me.”
Daniel Ricciardo & Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Daniel Ricciardo & Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Nothing has changed since.
“Yeah, I think you said Max [Verstappen] said it. I’ve said it for many years. Scares the s**t out of me.”
On the assumption that F1 drivers only care about F1 rather than other forms of motorsport, he added: “Some people are surprised when they’re like, ‘Dude, you like that?’ Like if I said I grew up watching NASCAR, they’d be like, ‘Wait, NASCAR? You’re an F1 guy.’”
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The former Red Bull driver will be attending this year’s Indianapolis 500 as a fan after retiring from racing and becoming a Ford Racing ambassador.
“What you’ve told me about Indy and the 500 – I’ve probably never been more excited since I was a kid to go to a race and just be a fan of a race, you know? And I think to experience it, and the way you speak about it – you’ve done the European thing, you’ve travelled the world racing. I think it’s going to really hit me hard.”
He went to Daytona for the first time at the end of last year and found that seeing the banking in person was something else entirely: “Man, some things you just have to see. You just have to physically see it,” he said before adding: “And I think that’s how I feel with the 500.
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“I have an idea of what it will be like. I’ve been around racing my whole life, but there will still be things that are just gonna blow me away and I think that’s cool.”
Photos from Indy 500 – Friday
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Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
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Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
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Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
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David Malukas, Team Penske Chevrolet
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Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
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Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
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Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
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Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
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David Malukas, Team Penske Chevrolet
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Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
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David Malukas, Team Penske Chevrolet
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Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda
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Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing Honda
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Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda
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Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet
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Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Chevrolet
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Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
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Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
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Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
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Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Chevrolet
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Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Honda
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Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda
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Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
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Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
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Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
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Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda
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Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda
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Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
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Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
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Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet
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Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda
Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda
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Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
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Will Power, Andretti Global Honda
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Santino Ferrucci, AJ Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet
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Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Honda
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Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
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Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
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Ryan Hunter-Reay, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
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Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet
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Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
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Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet
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Borg Warner Trophy
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