Daniel Ricciardo tries to bottom his drink at the LA Kings’ NHL match

Daniel Ricciardo was seen attempting to bottom his drink during LA Kings' NHL match where he was present as a special guest. The Australian has been present during multiple American games since his stint with VCARB was terminated in F1.

As F1 moves to Sin City for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Ricciardo was spotted in Los Angeles, attending the game between the LA Kings and Buffalo Sabres. The latter won the match (0-1 was the final score). The 35-year-old Ricciardo is known to be a Buffalo Bills fan.

A hilarious moment unfolded during the game when he was featured on the big screen. With his signature ear-to-ear grin, he picked up his glass and attempted a one-shot finish of his drink. The LA Kings captured this amusing incident and shared it on their social media profile.

Daniel Ricciardo's F1 stint ended after the Singapore Grand Prix. Post the race, he was replaced by Liam Lawson at VCARB. Interestingly, the team had signed Ricciardo mid-season in 2023, as a replacement for Nyck de Vries. Ricciardo's competitiveness was subject to criticism and the team was likely enduring a loss in points and their position in the midfield.

He finished thrice in points in the 18 rounds of the season he participated in. Meanwhile, his replacement Liam Lawson has been in the top ten twice in just three rounds.

---

Daniel Ricciardo insisted to not make his departure public early

Reports of the Daniel Ricciardo's split with VCARB circulated throughout the paddock during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. However, the team did not reveal it until the weekend was over. Although the decision was made early, Peter Bayer recently revealed that Ricciardo insisted on not making the news public yet.

Bayer mentioned that throughout the weekend, Ricciardo was confident of putting his car ahead in the grid during the qualifying session. Appreciating the Australian's mental strength, Bayer stated that he still had hopes with his drive. However, he was disqualified in Q1.

"We had agreed with Daniel Ricciardo that we would not communicate it. We knew that we would look a bit old as a team. But we also did it to protect the driver. It was his wish," Bayer said.

"He believed until the very end that he would finish at the front in qualifying and show everyone what he could. I have never seen such mental strength in an athlete as this person has. And I have been in many sports," he added.

After the qualifying session, the team communicated with him, but he insisted on the same, asking them to let him finish the race on Sunday.

"It was a terrible moment when he was eliminated in Q1. You could already hear on the radio that his world had collapsed. We then spoke to him again on Saturday. We sat together in our office at two in the morning and asked him what we should do now. He then told us that we should just let him drive the race. He just didn't want any fuss."

Daniel Ricciardo finished the race in P18. After the race, he could be seen teary eyed while giving interviews, and was reportedly the last person to leave the paddock. The decision to sack him and sign Liam Lawson was soon announced by the team. There are no signs of his return in the 2025 season, either.