It is well known that Daniel Ricciardo is the class clown of the F1 paddock and there is never a dull day with the Australian. Attending the 2022 F1 Italian GP press conference, Ricciardo was seen sporting a neck tattoo of Lando Norris' face. He revealed:
"I have Lando’s face on my neck. Anyway, we did a little thing this morning with a team and gosh, anyway… So I yeah, he looks sunburnt. He's got a few on him as well. So anyway, you'll see later I'm sure."
The chemistry between Ricciardo and Norris has always brought smiles to the fans' faces. People speculated that the two McLaren teammates were not on good terms and there were rumors of a rift between them. But this incident has put any such rumors to rest. Speaking to the press about the Italian GP and the track at Monza, Ricciardo said:
"I think Monza is a place that I've always enjoyed, you know, and results aside, it's a fun track – low downforce, high speed, best pizza in the world, all these all these things that make it fun and nice."
Daniel Ricciardo was the winner at Monza last year with McLaren team-mate Lando Norris finishing second. The last time McLaren scored a 1-2 finish (before the 2021 Italian GP) was in the 2010 Canadian GP, with Lewis Hamilton winning the race and Jenson Button coming in P2.
Lewis Hamilton says Daniel Ricciardo deserves to keep on racing
Hamilton believes that Daniel Ricciardo deserves to keep on racing in F1. Speaking at the Italian GP press conference, Hamilton addressed the departure of Ricciardo from McLaren and the uncertainty surrounding his future. He said:
"I think he should be racing, personally. I think he's far too talented to... And he's earned the right to be amongst us all, racing."
Hamilton even went on to say that if he was managing him (Ricciardo), he would be racing.
"I was managing him, he’d be racing."
McLaren recently announced that Daniel Ricciardo would be leaving the team at the end of the year, making way for fellow Australian and 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri. This has been a disappointing season for Ricciardo, scoring just 19 points in 15 races. It will be interesting to see how he performs at the Italian GP.