Daniel Ricciardo reveals why he once called his mother during a thunderstorm

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he called his mother during a thunderstorm to discern whether it was safe enough to operate a washing machine. The driver shared the anecdote in a viral social media video posted by McLaren's YouTube channel.

The video, titled 'Fact or Phish', was made to celebrate the partnership between McLaren and Darktrace, a British cyber-defense company. Both drivers, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, were featured in the video and played a game of what was essentially true or false. Each driver had to guess whether the other's statement was made up or true.

As part of the challenge, Norris had to guess whether his teammate phoned his mother in the middle of a thunderstorm to find out whether it was safe to turn on a washing machine. After the Briton guessed correctly, the former Red Bull driver explained:

“I had just moved to Europe — Italy — I had just left the nest and was scared. I just thought if I turned any electricity stuff on, I might get electrocuted.”

The Australian didn't reveal how his mother responded to the question, leaving viewers to guess for themselves.

Watch the full video below:

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Daniel Ricciardo spotted training in quarantine shortly after 2021 finale

Daniel Ricciardo was seen juggling three oranges whilst riding a stationary bike in a hotel room. The McLaren driver was seen in a social media post by his performance coach Michael Italiano.

The Honey Badger had an underwhelming first year with McLaren. The driver finished eighth in the drivers' standings at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with nine finishes outside the points. It was not all lost for the former Red Bull driver, however, as he won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza by a comfortable margin, securing a 1-2 for his team with Lando Norris.

It was perhaps due to his 2021 performance that the driver began training less than two weeks after the controversial season finale. Meanwhile, McLaren CEO Zak Brown is totally confident in his driver's ability to improve. Brown said:

“We saw another Ricciardo in the second half of the year. Then he had the speed and a lot more confidence in the car. We saw in Monza what he is capable of and that was a huge achievement.”

Fans are hoping that Daniel Ricciardo's unique style of training pays off in 2022, helping the Australian find better form in 2022 and challenge for more podium places.