The Ariel Helwani Show - Daniel Ricciardo

Episode Date: November 11, 2021

The Formula 1 superstar joins Ariel to talk about Ricciardo's Bills fandom and obsession with watching the UFC, among many other things. Then, the guys discuss Ricciardo's illustrious motor racing career, where Ricciardo opens up about his rise in popularity, if he has any regrets, his decision to change teams again in 2020, the importance of putting yourself first, dealing with critics and much, much more.Daniel Ricciardo is one of the top Formula 1 drivers in the world. The 32-year-old Australian-born racer has won eight Grand Prix in his career, the most recent one coming in Italy this past September. Ricciardo gained even more fame in 2019 with the release of the popular Netflix series, Drive to Survive, a docuseries that took viewers behind the scenes of life as a Formula 1 driver.You can follow Daniel on Twitter and Instagram @danielricciardo, where he has a combined 8.2M followers. For more episodes of The Ariel Helwani Show, please follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.To get more from Ariel, subscribe to his YouTube channel, read his writing on Substack, watch his work for BT Sport, and follow The MMA Hour or The Ringer MMA Show.Theme music: "Frantic" by The Lovely Feathers

Hello everyone, it's your old friend Aryawani here on this Thursday, November 11th, 2021. Thank you so much for checking out a brand new edition of The Helwani Show. And I have to say, I am so excited about today's episode. This might be my favorite one so far. And I feel like I say it each and every week, and I feel compelled to say it again. The nachas, the enjoyment, the fulfillment, the happiness that I'm getting from doing this show is pretty incredible. It's intense. It's immense, dare I say.

It pales in comparison to anything that I'm doing right now. This is the little train that could in my life and each and every week, I'm getting more excited about it. I believe more in it and I'm loving the feedback. So thanks to all of you who have

been supporting what we're doing here, who follow the interviews on Spotify, on Apple, wherever you get your podcasts, who check out the interviews on our YouTube page. I can't thank you enough. And like I said, this episode might be my favorite so far because it's with a really cool guy. My guest this week is F1 superstar Daniel Ricciardo. Now, Daniel Ricciardo is a world-renowned star. He's one of the best race car drivers on the planet. Just a few weeks ago, he won the Italian Grand Prix. He has won eight Grand Prixs in his F1 career.

He is known from Western Australia, which is where he's from, all the way to Northern Canada. Everyone knows who Daniel Ricciardo is, and he has become a really big deal over the past couple of years since the debut of the Netflix series Drive to Survive, which follows the F1 circuit. This has changed the lives of a lot of people involved in F1, but he has such a great personality. He has this larger than life persona. He's got this massive smile. He's got this charismatic demeanor. It's just all great stuff.

And I was exposed to him because he's a huge MMA fan. He's a huge UFC fan. And so I started following him. And I see he's always talking about it, tweeting about it. And he just seemed like a really interesting guy. And then I found out that he's a Buffalo Bills fan as well. And I see he's always talking about it, tweeting about it. And he just seemed like a really interesting guy. And then I found out that he's a Buffalo Bills fan as well. And as you know, I'm a Bills fan too since 1990. And we actually have a lot in common, which we talk about in this interview. He couldn't have been nicer. He couldn't have been more gracious with his time. He couldn't have been a bigger mensch, to be honest. I loved every second of this. He gave us around 75 minutes of his day in the midst of the season. He's on his way to Brazil. I mean, I can't say enough good things about this guy. The happiness that I got from talking to him while we were doing the interview, after the interview, was amazing.

And so without further ado, I'm not going to keep talking. You're going to learn a lot about this man. And what was fun about it was we got to see a different side of him. He talks about what he's interested in, obviously UFC, MMA, a little Buffalo Bills talk as well. And he opened up about some things, as he tells us in the interview, that he hasn't talked about before, which is a huge, huge honor for me. And so without further ado, let us say hello now to the F1 superstar, the larger-than-life personality, the Honey Badger, hailing from Perth, Western Australia. Here is my conversation with one and only Daniel Ricciardo. Enjoy.

We are kindred spirits, my friend. We have a lot in common. The more I've been reading about you, watching you, let me go through the list if I can.. So number one, you're a huge MMA slash UFC fan, as am I. You're a member of Bill's Mafia. Longtime Bill's fan right here since 1990, right? You are very close to your parents, I understand. I am very close to my parents as well. You don't like to swim, dare I say. You're afraid of the water.

I don't like to swim as well. Your first Grand Prix win was in my hometown of Montreal. We have a like to swim, dare I say. You're afraid of the water. I don't like to swim as well. Your first Grand Prix win was in my hometown of Montreal. We have a lot in common, Daniel. You're way cooler than I am. You have a way cooler life, but I feel like we are kindred spirits in a way. What do you think of that? There's a lot of connection there. And the stars have aligned, Ariel. Actually, so I want to go into the bills. I actually, I'm going to lean on you today to educate me a little bit or give me some resources later because I'm new to the mafia. And I want to do it justice and get up to speed. So you'll have to give me some pointers later of protocols.

We could start right there. I have to say a lot of respect for you. A little bit jealous. You're hanging out with Josh Allen. You're new to the team. Give me some pointers later of that. Well, no, we could start right there. I have to say a lot of respect for you. A little bit jealous. You're hanging out with Josh Allen. You're new to the team. There you are hobnobbing with the quarterback. I mean, by the way, how did that even come about, you and Josh Allen?

Did ESPN set that up for you guys with the great Marty Smith? Yeah, so that was all set up before the Austin Grand Prix. And, um, but I, I met Josh. So he came to an F1 race a couple of years ago. He came out to Monaco and, uh, yeah, it was, um, it was just kind of one of those ones. And I, I love, I'm a sports, I guess, sports nut, but it was funny. I hadn't really had an NFL team that I, that I followed yet. And, um, it was probably the one, the one sport that I probably hadn't really dived deep enough into yet. And, uh, so I met Josh and then

I was like, the bills sound cool. And I read about a little bit about the mafia and I was like, the Jersey's cool. I was like, I'm in, I'm in. So now, now I'm getting some, some Royal mafia treatments. That's why I need to, uh, I need to scratch up on my skills. So officially, when did you become a fan um i was i guess 2019 okay so you are new oh yeah yeah so i i don't i don't want to lie like i'm i am new so that's why i gotta do it i gotta do it some justice and by the way i mean there was once a time in the early 90s the bills were the cream of the crop four straight superbowls unfortunately we lost lost. I cried. I was just a young boy, but I cried after every single one. A lot of celebrities like you, they don't jump on the Bills bandwagon. This is a sign of the times. Like all of a sudden, after 20 or so years of futility, we're now cool again. So you having

the pick of the litter, I mean, you're out there catching passes from Tom Brady on a yacht. You could go to any team. The fact that you chose our little squad in Western New York actually means a lot. It's kind of a stamp of approval. So thank you for that. No worries. No worries. I see a lot of, I say in a way, me or my friends, all my mates I grew up with.

If we grew up in the States, the Bills is who we would have supported. I just feel the way they are, the way they rally together, the way they tailgate and everything. It's very much us. So yeah, I feel like I can relate. And you haven't been to a game yet, right? Not a Bills game, no. Not a Bills game, yeah. I have not been there as well.

They're going to roll out the red carpet for you. They don't care about me. So I will live vicariously through you whenever you get to go. I'll bring you. Oh, really? I'll bring you as my guest. You can be my plus one. Deal, deal, deal.

They'll be like, who's this weirdo guy? They probably expect you to be with a cool entourage. Okay, so I love that. But of course, how I really started to pay attention to you was because you're a massive mixed martial arts fan big ufc fan as well how did you fall in love with the ufc and with mma in particular so i um so when i was younger one of my best friends uh who i grew up with he was um boxing so i would and i was know, at that time taking my racing more seriously. So like fitness and all that was becoming more essential for me. So I started then going to the boxing gym where he would train and I was, yeah, just doing, I mean, I never just hitting pads and bags and that, and just trying to do some other forms of training to stay fit and I was following him. So I think I always had, let's say an interest in combat sports. And then really with the MMA, I was, it was, I think 2011, I think,

was it UFC 116? You're really good at this. Yeah. Which one? Is it Lesnar Carwin? Yes. 116, July. Yeah. So I think it was 2011. I'm pretty sure. So that was, I remember that was the first, or if it wasn't that, I'd seen at least a replay, but that was the first card I watched and I was hooked. And I actually, I was quite disappointed that I hadn't, let's say, discovered it sooner. But yeah, I guess that's what, a decade now.

So I've definitely been into it a lot longer than my NFL expertise. And I can confidently say I'm a bit more of a nerd. And I see like you're always tweeting. You were tweeting this past weekend about the MSG card. So are you going out of your way to watch just the pay-per-views? Are you just a pay-per-view fan? Are you a fight night fan? You're watching everything? Yeah. Wow. I'm watching everything. And I'm also then listening to every interview, every press conference. Wow. So I'm definitely obsessed. Yeah. So it's, I don't know. I love it. And it's probably why I, a big reason why I love it as well as I mentioned my friend box, but it's more that like formula one and motor racing is it's my passion.

It's my life, but there is so many, there's so many variables in the sport. You know, there's mechanicals, there's pit stops, there's strategy. There's this just kind of engine failures, there's human error. There's so many things that can go wrong on race day. So in some terms, it's not always that pure, if you know what I mean. Like you can be the best guy on that day, but you might not win because something happened out of your control. Where I love, you know, combat sports and in particular MMA, because it, for me, it's like the purest form of competition. And I know still things can happen

in the cage, but it's, I just love that kind of one-on-one there's, there's pretty much no outside variables. And that's, um, that's what really drew me to it. So just curious, like when you're in the midst of a season, the weekend is very busy for you, obviously. How are you setting aside six, seven hours to watch this stuff on a Saturday? Which sometimes, you know, like this past weekend, it ends at 1.30. You have a big day on Sunday. You're staying up to watch that? So it ended at 11.30, Mexico.

Oh, in Mexico. That's right. It's still like pushing my bedtime a little bit, but I, I love it too much. I love it too much. And so look, if, if the cards on,

if I'm in Europe and it's on say three, 4am or something, then I'll, I'll end up watching, watching a replay and I'll stay off social all that day. Cause I'm like the first thing I open, it's going to be something with related to the UFC. But I was, it's going to be something with related to the UFC. But I was,

I will say though, it took me a while to get to sleep on Saturday night because those fights were insane. And I'm like, yeah, I'm in a, you know, maybe it's like the competitor in me,

but I can't just sit there calmly. Like I'm yeah. I'm sure like yourself, you're on the, are you watching alone or is there a group of you on the squad or just you know in the traveling circus that loves it as well and always gets together so my um so my performance coach michael he loves it as well so uh we so we watched it together and we'll normally watch it together um but i definitely like it's cool obviously if it's

an off weekend and there's maybe a like a a sports bar or whatever, like that's a cool environment. But if I'm really invested in a fighter or the fights that night, then I'll prefer to watch it in my own privacy. All right. So, so who are your favorites right now? Like who's the guy, the girl, a couple of them that you have to go out? It doesn't matter what time it is you are watching them. You're hyped. You're nervous when they're fighting. I really, I was hoping you wouldn't ask this. I'm like, I'm, I guess, such a fan that I have is you are watching them you're hyped you're nervous when they're fighting i i really i was hoping you wouldn't ask this i'm like i'm i guess such a fan that i have many that i that i like i mean like so you mentioned gail like rose i think rose just has that effect on so many people so

i got so nervous i mean i always get nervous for her fights but obviously saturday night was a big one. And I, I guess I, um, I really felt like it was going to be much more of a, uh, challenge award than it was the first one. So I knew it wasn't going to be, uh, like the first one with, uh, with Wei Li. So, um, it was like, yeah, I was nervous for sure. Uh, who else? I mean, obviously the Aussies I get behind. So, I mean, Volkanovski Ortega was freaking awesome. So I love that. Whitaker.

But yeah, I feel bad naming because I, yeah, I just, I definitely respect all of them, but I have many, many fans. And actually fellow countryman for yourself, GSP, he came out to a race a couple of years ago. So we actually invited him and I honestly didn't think he would show. And he did. And he was awesome. And he was, the funniest thing was, he goes, you're crazy. I was like, get out of here. What are you talking about? He literally was trying to convince me that i was crazier than him i'm like

no no i was actually gonna ask you that who do you think has for lack of a better term like bigger balls mma fighters or f1 drivers because i personally think you're crazier than they are and i think they're the craziest but like you guys like the fact that you're going in this machine at insane speed you you actually think they have a crazier little like dna you know just like a different gene in their body than you guys yeah really no it's like don't don't get me wrong our sport is yeah you need um you need some minerals uh and then for sure some some courage and whatever but no like i i try to really put myself in that position like when I watch sports I'll try to even learn from other sports whether it's the mental approach or whatever and like I envisage I envisage like walking out into the octagon and like no way like the

that feeling and that intensity like that I don't think that could be matched um so i definitely tip my hat to them 10 times what are you thinking when volkanovsky's in the the guillotine i mean that's what like one of the greatest displays of courage that i've ever seen right to get out of that yeah what's going through your mind um it's funny how you can watch it and they're like, they're call it strength. Then is like basically reflects back on you. Like in that moment when he got out, I felt I could have done anything like all his power put onto it. Like, I don't know.

You just, you get up and you roar. And I was convinced it was done. Like I'm sure like 99.9% and anyone that knows Ortega knows that that's, that's his bread and butter. So when he got out of that, I was just like, okay, this he's not losing. So, um, it's cool. Like that true, what do we call like true Aussie battler spirit? Yeah, it was awesome. Um, you've been to events, right? Yeah. Which ones? So first one I did until this day, not only because I was there, but probably one of my favorite cards of all time was, I always get confused. I think it was 189. It was McGregor Mendez.

Yeah. 189. 189. So I was in Vegas for that. And yeah, I think I got spoiled because it was my first event ever oh wow sitting right next to um mcgregor's family and i was just like this is it was the mgm and the whole card i think every every fight had a finish even like it was ridiculous well they also had robbie lawler rory mcdonald wasn't a fish but it was uh actually no it was but it was a total yes it was but it was like one of the greatest fights of all time that you got to see in in person i was thinking the first fight what yeah that was insane yeah so that was and till this day till this day it was had like really hand on heart the best sporting like live sporting event i've ever been a part of uh or ever been to um i got to do the

super bowl a couple years ago which was amazing but i honestly still put that card on 189 like the coolest experience i had um it was i still remember it all yeah it was there was the i think stevens had the flying knee on bermudas yes yes yes it was it was wild yeah so i've kept my ticket i kept my ticket that's that's how much that night meant to me. Yeah. Have you been to any of the cards in Australia? I haven't. Wow. Because normally just timing. So it was a Perth card.

As you recall, I think, what was it? Maybe three years ago or something. But I think I was racing. Maybe I was this part of the world, South America or something then. But yeah, I've done london so i saw bisping silver in london which was cool so yeah i've been pretty bad yeah i actually the first time i went to a car in australia was ufc 127 acer arena in uh in sydney it was headlined by john fitch versus bj penn maybe the loudest up until connor brandau in dublin it was maybe the loudest arena and it was at like 10 in the morning on a sunday right it was insane i enjoyed that 193 was a little different that was uh holly home and ronda rousey

because the the stadium was just so big and a little cavernous um but yeah great the aussie fans are the best and it's a great time now with Whitaker, you know, Izzy. You didn't mention Izzy, which I was a little surprised. Is that an Aussie New Zealand thing? rematch like i i will support whitaker um but uh but that's that's probably actually that that fight will be one that will make me very nervous for sure um and i really anticipate a much closer fight as well so you know what's interesting about you know mma and why people love mma why i love mma i grew up a big pro wrestling fan as well is i think one of the reasons why people get into it and have their favorites, they get emotionally invested, is because of the stories, the characters, the buildup, the drama. People want to pretend like, oh, it's all about the martial

arts spirit and everything, but everyone loves the drama. Everyone loves the crap talking and all that stuff. And that is what I think F1 has done so well in capitalizing off of over the last few years with the Netflix series, Drive to Survive. I think being1 has done so well in capitalizing off of over the last few years with the Netflix series, Drive to Survive. I think being able to show the behind the scenes drama, everything that goes on, has now opened you guys up to a whole new fan base. And there are people who never watched F1 who now love it and have their favorites and have the ones they don't like. Would you agree with that? Do you think that in large part, exposing, shining a light on all the drama, all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes has helped now grow the sport exponentially? Absolutely. And

especially for our sport, because it's, you rarely see emotion, you know, where we're sitting in these, as you can say, like kind of these little rocket ships and we're wearing helmets. And so you don't really see for the most part, yeah, you see us wearing a helmet and so you don't really see for the most part yeah you see us wearing a helmet so you don't really get much emotion expression um and so getting kind of getting back behind the scenes um already is going to do wonders and i think like anything when you follow someone's even personal life the family life or yeah what they do away from the racetrack or away from their field it's um, um, it's easier for people to get invested. So it had like a double impact, I think, because the nature of the sport that we wear helmets and then, um, it's always been very

private as well. Like F1 has always been quite like, for lack of better word, like elite, I guess, and, you know, kind of closed doors. Um, You know, it was only up until a few years ago, we were allowed to like take photos in like the pit area. So even drivers, like we wouldn't have been able to do any social media a few years ago and, and all of that. So they've, they've really opened it up and made it more accessible, I think. And it's a very, it's a very kind of unrelatable sport, but I think through opening

the doors, it's, it's in some ways became more relatable or at least, you know, us drivers and team members, um, yeah, able to kind of tell a bit more of a story. Do you find, especially in America, you are a lot more popular since the series premiered? That's, that's where I've noticed the biggest difference. Absolutely. Because, I mean, it's grown worldwide and we've seen numbers. It's gone crazy worldwide for sure. But I think like Europe,

like Formula One's always been a thing, you know, like that's the home of Formula One is Europe. So yeah, we've kind of always been, I would say, recognized in Europe. I guess it's more so now. But yeah, America was kind of so, I guess, green and it was so fresh. And I've noticed it's changed. It pretty much changed overnight where, yeah, it was kind of overwhelming actually. So we had Austin a few weeks ago and

yeah. You noticed a big difference oh yeah you couldn't like you go walking to a restaurant or go out in the street and you get 10 meters and uh and they they stop you so um it was pretty it was pretty wild but it's cool like it's cool to i guess it's obviously it's my it's been my life it's my passion so it's cool to be able to i guess now share that with more people and have it appreciated by more people because it is a it's a wild and weird sport but it's also pretty awesome it feels at least to me like you embrace it you enjoyed for the most part were you always that way though like i mean you have cameras in your face it's stressful enough what you do initially was it annoying is it still annoying

to be followed you know incessantly when four or five years ago, this wasn't a part of the gig? You have to, you have to kind of find a way to, I think, enjoy it. And I think even before the Netflix series, you know, Formula One, as soon as you get to Formula One, in a way, like your life changes, there's so much more than just driving. There is so much media and marketing and sponsorship stuff to do that you kind of have to enjoy the cameras. Because if you don't, then you're probably going to be miserable 80% of the time because it really takes up that much time of your life. So I try to just enjoy enjoy it have fun with it but for sure if they're in a

in a setting where i'm not comfortable or let's say i want my bit of privacy then um you know we have we have that and they've uh they've been really respectful so i think it's been it's been okay but um yeah just embrace it and i also know that this like i'm 32 and you know the the lifespan of an f1 driver you know you don't really go beyond 40 so um you know whether i've got five more years of this or whatever then it's it's not going to last forever like all things so i just try to enjoy it as uh whilst i've got it do you have an age in mind when you would like to stop uh i i guess i don't have an age. I think it's, I'll probably know. And maybe it's, I mean, it's like a lot of sports,

like MMA, the moment where you start, maybe a little bit of hesitation or a bit of fear starts creeping in where you're not willing to take the same level of risk that you once were, then I think that's the sign. And especially in motor racing, everything happens so fast and it's like split second decisions that you can't afford to be, let's say one step behind anymore.

So maybe I'll get to an age where that kicks in. Otherwise, um, maybe I'll just get tired as well. Cause our calendar is so brutal. Like at some point, I think I'm just going to want to take six months off and probably do nothing. Well, you had that. I mean, it was sort of forced upon all of us when you got to, you know, during the early days of the pandemic. Was there a part of you that was like, oh, I kind of like this life. This is kind of nice not having to travel. I mean, your schedule is absolutely insane, more so than any athlete, because you're literally

traveling the globe as opposed to staying essentially in one country. Was it like, were you kind of envisioning the retirement life on your farm in Perth while we all had to stay at home in lockdown? I certainly got a taste of it. Yeah. So I was on the farm for, I think it was three months. And there was part of me which loved it and really enjoyed just even just being in one place for a period of time because we'll do 100 flights a year. As you say, it's not domestic, it's international and it's going from one end of the globe to the other. So it is tiring and I enjoyed not being at airports. So probably for the first month, two months, I actually did like that thought. But then I really started to miss it. And I miss the intensity, the energy, all of it.

Kind of the, yeah, the pressure that comes with it as well. So, yeah, I kind of, it was definitely some, I'd say, clarification that any thought of an early retirement was, yeah, it wasn't on my plan yet. You seem like a very happy-go-lucky guy. You're always smiling. You're always in a great mood. Do you get nervous before the races? Do you get anxious? I remember GSP told me he would throw up. He would look at himself in the mirror in the locker room and like have doubts about himself. And it's like, that's GSP. He's one of the greatest of all time. Do you feel the same way? Or are you always like this, just incredibly chill even moments before you're about to race? I am pretty chill. Um, you know, I got to a, definitely when I got to Formula One, so I've been more or less 10 years in F1 now. And when I got to F1, I was honestly intimidated. You know,

I was a kid from Perth. No one had ever gone from Perth to Formula One before. And you put it on this pedestal. And so when I got there, I was like, oh my gosh, I'm here. Like, what do I do? And yeah, I used to get nervous and it was more because I probably yet, I believed in myself and my skills, but I, I probably hadn't yet convinced myself that I was, I belonged there in Formula One yet. Um, and, uh, so it took me, yeah, it probably took like a year, 18 months to really kind of get that true belief that I that I belonged there and then I started to enjoy the feeling more and have kind of used the nerves as um yeah like energy

excitement um motivation I don't know all of that stuff so um I also got to a point as well where a bit like I touched on, I knew that whether it's going to last 10 years, five years, 15, like at some point it's, it is going to go. And I know that when it goes, I'll miss it because you, you know, you're on a world stage. Like you don't get that, you don't get that platform every day. And that feeling of, you know, being on the grid, the grid I mean Austin there was 400,000 people across the weekend like that's it's insane so I just made a point not to get nervous in that moment but actually just kind of try and soak it in and look around and enjoy it and appreciate it

so that was like a conscious I guess decision that I made and I tried to work on and yeah now I think I just i just have fun with it i know that like when i'm kind of loose and relaxed and having fun then that's when i'll normally perform my best so um i get i get sorry this is a long answer i guess i get nervous but it's not it's more just it's more just like excitement and like yeah let's let's go kind of thing do you remember the moment, the race, the time period when you started to believe that you belonged? Yeah. So, um, actually, sorry, just going back one step. So on the nerves as well, I also take, let's say confidence in

knowing that every other driver's feeling it. And if I can like smile and, you know, be in that moment, I know that I'm, I'm affected less than them. So I kind of use that as a little bit of a strength. By the way, before you answer the next one, just curious, do you use that as a mind game? Like if someone's nervous and they see this dude smiling, you start to like question yourself more like, why is he so chill? And I'm not, is that, is that part of the strategy as well? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I love it. So like, I am very like, as you look, I'm happy. I'm pretty easygoing, but like, make no mistake,

I am as competitive as they come. And I think that's also what can surprise some people. They're like, wait, how can you kind of turn into this person? Because you're just too nice. But I have that competitive gene in me. I had it since I was a kid with anything I did. And like the mind games, the mental stuff, I wish we had more of it in our sport. But yeah, if I see someone, even on the grid, if someone gets in the car super early, I'm like, okay, if they see me still without my helmet on, still maybe dancing around or having a laugh then they're probably like what the hell is this like we got a race

like what's what's he doing he should so even those little things are like yeah i love it okay now going back to the the previous question about the moment when you started to believe confidence self-confidence do you remember when that was so a big probably the first moment that came to mind was, um, so it was 2012. So it was about, I was about a year in, into my F1 career and it was in Japan. And, uh, I was, uh, I had Michael Schumacher behind me. So he was still racing when I started, which was surreal in itself. I still can't really believe that um because he was you know a hero of mine growing up um so uh he was behind me and you know at the time he was in a better car and this and that and he was also michael schumacher and uh i defended him for the last i don't know 10 15 laps

and uh it was for the last point so it was a top 10 which was big for me and at that time in my career and uh and it was then like when i didn't i guess fall under the pressure and i wasn't overwhelmed by the fact that it was you know schumacher behind me i knew that that was an internal kind of moment for me where i was like okay i do have what it takes to sustain the pressure and everything. And probably what was made even cooler was at the following race, we have like the driver's parade, you know, like a couple hours before the race. And we're all kind of together going around and, you know, waving to the crowd and that. And he came up to me and I hadn't really spoken to him yet. And he came up and just goes, good job in Japan.

Like you defended really well. And I was just like, to him yet. And he came up and just goes, good job in Japan. Like you defended really well. And I was just like, oh, cool. Yeah. So that was really the first moment where I was like, okay, maybe I do belong. Winning your first one, it was in Montreal, right? The Canadian Grand Prix, which is freaking awesome. When you go back, like, could you even describe what the emotions were like when you realized that you had won your first Grand Prix?

Do you, I mean, I would imagine you're never going to forget that for the rest of your life, right? No, it was June 8th, 2014. So I definitely don't forget. Yeah, it's definitely, of course, it's overwhelming and it's so much to take in, um it was it was kind of everything i hoped it would be um as a kid you know like you i mean i followed formula one since i was a kid and i'd been to races and you kind of you'd look up at the podium and you pitch yourself there so i remember like i pictured myself on the podium one day with like the sea of people you know below um on the track and so when i got up on the podium in montreal i remembered that and it felt very um i want to say i don't know if i would say familiar but it was what i hoped it would be um and i remember that moment i was able to really like

appreciate that and yeah that was um that was cool and i think as well the um so by that point i'd certainly got you know the self-belief and everything that i that i needed in myself to do it but i only took the lead of the race with like three laps to go and as soon as i took the lead i did have a moment of oh shit like, am I going to freeze? Because I was so close to the finish as well. So I remember going through the first two corners on the circuit and I was just telling myself like, please work. I was scared my hands would not work and I wouldn't turn or I wouldn't be able to change

the gear. So I did have a moment, I guess, still of like panic, like, can I do this? And as soon as I got through those first two corners, I was like, all right, I could do it. It's so crazy to hear you say that. Cause like when I was a kid playing Mario Kart and games, like I would freeze when I would pass, you know, my brothers or my friends to hear an actual pro F1 driver, you know, a legend say that in that it makes you very relatable. And I think that's one thing that people love about you is that you are so relatable. Even your journey is very relatable. Before I continue on that, can you just indulge me very quickly? I mean, Montreal has to be, correct me if I'm wrong, like it's got to be one of the top spots, right? Like I know growing

up anytime in June, early June, they would close down downtown all the the best looking people would come out wearing the coolest you know it's june in montreal everyone's just dying to go out montreal has to be one of the top spots on the tour correct yeah absolutely it's and it's it's liked by all of us that go there um as you say it's because well some some circuits are kind of in the middle of nowhere because yeah a, a circuit needs a lot of space. So a lot of the time they're not in downtown, like they're not in a city. So the fact that Montreal is really downtown, we can stay in the city, we can kind of soak up the atmosphere.

And, yeah, as you say, they close off streets. There's always street parties. And it's a pretty city. Like I really like Montreal. I really do think it's pretty. parties there's and it's a pretty city like i really like montreal um i really do think it's pretty it's um the food's amazing we all know canadians are very friendly like aussies so it's uh yeah it was it was cool so we we actually we were meant to fly back that night which was silly in itself because we should stay sunday night in montreal it's always fun but um the whole team like canceled the flights and we, yeah, I want to say that most of the team partied a bit more than

I did. I was, my adrenaline dump, you know, hit me, but yeah, there was certainly some, some sore heads the next morning. So going back to you being so relatable, you know, when I'm watching the show and I can't even imagine, you're switching teams, you're going from Renault to McLaren, they're following you. It feels awkward for me to watch you with now your former team and there's cameras in your face and everyone's doing interviews

and even you going from Red Bull to Renault, I know that people are like, what? Why are you going from Red Bull to Renault, I know that people were like, what? Why are you going from Red Bull to Renault? And not to make myself, you know, you, not to put myself in your shoes, but it actually reminded me a little bit of when I left ESPN. And people are like, why would you leave ESPN? That's, you know, you've got it made. That's the creme de la creme. And so like, I was watching this and I was like, wow, his journey is very relatable because, you know, maybe sometimes you're not happy on top of the mountain. Maybe you want something else. You want to change.

And so I'm just wondering, going through all of that, and I know you've made a couple of changes now, which is not exactly common in F1. Do you have regrets? Do you wish you could have done things differently throughout the past years? Or are you okay with the journey? I'm totally okay with it. Totally okay. And I think, to answer it bluntly, no, I don't have regrets. And, you know, I've also followed your career and I completely can relate as well, because it's, as you say, you might think, or from the outside, it might think that it's, you know, everything's made and you're comfortable and happy in that but um and maybe even if you are

happy there's you know there might be like a burning desire to do something else and it might make you happier or it might push you a little harder you might discover a bit more about yourself and just challenge you so um you know so with with Red Bull they were and they still are you know one of the top teams um but i was there for even before formula one you know i was so i was in that family for about 10 years and um i mean they they really set everything up for me so you know i'll like forever be grateful for everything they did for me um but i got to a point where i was kind of a little bit maybe too comfortable in the team I'd been there so long I'd known everyone and I was I was worried that I'd get complacent and I felt like it was

time to have a new challenge and the team had been kind of just um let's say fairly stable for the last few years um we weren't that next step good enough to win a world title so you know I didn't really see that changing in the next couple years and I was like okay I need to um I need to look for something else here and try to try to also it was a little bit like I was still in high school because I'd been with this team kind of since high school if you will and I needed to break away and kind of just become become an adult and kind of go out on my own um and yeah it it was scary. And a lot of people thought I was crazy and stupid. But yeah, it was actually a really good thing for me. And then to make the switch from Renault to McLaren while they're filming, because when you

made the initial switch, there was no Netflix series, right? How awkward was that? I mean, you could see the tension they're pissed at you these guys these guys are legit pissed at you for leaving and you still have to be you know like let's say uh i know you follow you know other sport let's say god forbid josh allen one day goes and signs with the packers right he doesn't tell the bills during the final year that he's signing with the packers right it's the off season he goes and signs with the packers they knew during that final season that you were you were moving on that must have been incredibly awkward no yeah it was it was like you're actually you're very up to speed so i commend you for your uh your knowledge uh so it's with with formula one

a lot of contracts and a lot of deals happen you You know, if it's, so our season pretty much runs from February to December, call it. And most deals are done by the summer. So by July, August, everyone's set up for the following season. So I think inevitably you're going to have a period of time where you're racing for a team that you're no longer going to be with. But this one was even more, let's say, awkward because it happened during the pandemic.

We hadn't had any races yet because the season got postponed, yet everyone was still in contract mode. So they weren't really affected by, you know, nothing really got delayed because of the pandemic and everyone was still kind of moving around. So, yeah, I kind of felt like if I didn't make the move then, I probably would have missed out. And, you know, I kind of committed it, confirmed to myself

that McLaren was the place that I, you know, that I wanted to be and I felt was best for me. So, yeah, we had to pull the trigger and make that call before the new season had even started with Renault. So that was tough. And for sure there was tension for a little bit. But I think, you know, all I said was, you know, I'm going to do everything I can to race hard

and as best as I can for you guys for the rest of the year. And I know probably it's just words right now, but I'll prove it on track. And, you know, by the end of the season, I'm sure we can all uh sit back and say all right we're we're good and and that that is what happened so yeah but it's it's awkward and I'm also I don't really I'm not like a guy I don't love conflict I don't love making those tough phone calls but um but that in itself I think is is is uh yeah part of growing up so i don't i don't hate having to do that in a way because it's kind

of like life life lessons or life experiences but yeah you obviously don't want to uh you just don't like upsetting people for sure and then people talk also about like loyalty and loyalty is one where i'm i'm kind of torn on to honest, because I think people that hold loyalty like up as high as anything, I think you can also have yourself over because like, do you want to be loyal your whole life and not get to where you want to be just because you are loyal or, you know, at some point you do have to put yourself first. So maybe you can relate, but for sure, like loyalty is important, but I don't think it can control every decision you make in life because then you might just be kind of second best all the time. So what's it like when you see them now?

It's good. And, and to be honest, actually it got good pretty much as soon as the racing season started. So with, um, with Renault, so there was the, you know, still like a month of no racing and whatever, just a lot of, um whatever, just a lot of mixed emotions. But once we got on track, as I said to the team, I'm like, I'm going to race as hard as I can. And I'll prove that I'm going to do everything I can for you guys this year. And let's say, stay true to my contract. And then, yeah, with the first few races, actually, we did pretty well. And I think it was by race four, we nearly got a podium, which was huge for Renault.

And I think, yeah, they were like, okay, he's not messing around. And yeah, it's the nature of the beast. It's the business in the sport. It's what we're in. And I'm not the first driver to ever do it. So I think it's, yeah it's just uh how it goes so one line that i one line that i love to reference in the world of fighting is uh a line first uttered by the great roy jones jr in a rap song y'all must have forgot he had this rap song in the early 2000s and i love to mention it when

a fighter who people are counting out comes back and proves everyone wrong, right? Y'all Must Have Forgot, it's a great song. Izzy references it, a lot of people reference it. You had your Y'all Must Have Forgot moment not that long ago, just a few weeks ago in Italy. And I'm wondering, you know, three years without a first place finish, you had those seven and then you have this gap. Your team had not won, I think, eight years, right? McLaren hadn't won in eight years. I mean, there was a lot going on. And I think early on people were, and correct me

if you feel otherwise, saying like, do you still have it? The moves, all this stuff, people are starting to doubt you. Did you start to allow this criticism, these doubters, the haters, all this stuff, did you allow it to seep into your psyche? Did you start to lose confidence over the past three years, and particularly over the last few months when people are starting to say you aren't maybe as good as you once were? So I smiled a little bit then because deep down, I love it. I do love it because it's, I guess I love the challenge. And I will say I will say though that, yeah, this, this season, the first six months of this season was probably the toughest I've had in my career. It's the most challenged I've been. It's the most, yeah, I kind of didn't always have answers, at least like in

my head, I wasn't always sure. Okay. Why, why was I not quick enough this weekend or why, why can't I get the car to do this you know i'm just i'm not comfortable i'm not confident um and i thought okay it's it's a new team it'll it might just take a few more races but it got to a point where it was okay like come on daniel like why is it still not coming so i mean the people will always have opinions and that. So if I would like see someone who let's say, yeah, lost faith in me or questioned if I still had it, then I mean, I would say I wouldn't let it get to me because I'm like my worst critic. Is that the word? So like, no one's going to be harder on me than me. And, you know, sure, someone might say something, but like, I'm going to tell myself worse things, if you know what I mean. So I'd

kind of, I just, I always knew that I would, I guess I kept faith or confidence in myself that I would turn it around at some point. And it was getting me down that I hadn't done it yet, but I kind of just kept believing like no I've still got it like I know I know what I'm capable of like I know I'm not getting scared I don't have this I'm not being held back by anything it's just uh it's just a challenge that I'm gonna have to overcome so I kept persisting with it then I guess more and more people were like okay he's moved teams so many times the last few years. Is he, is he kind of on his way out? And, and then, yeah, I guess I use that as more motivation as well. So Italy came around,

sorry, I talk a lot. Italy came around and there was, well, actually I'll go back one little step. So we'd been, as we touched on, like the season is so relentless we don't really get much time off at all um and because i was on the back foot you know with my performances and you know with the new team i was let's say working so much putting so much effort and time into it to improve that i kind of just needed a break. And in August we get a fixed break, two weeks. So I went away, I switched off completely and it was kind of what I needed to reset and come back into the second half of the season with a, let's say a

fresh approach and a spring in my step. So yeah, I'd already kind of felt better. And then we got to Monza, Italy, and there was something, there was just something over me that weekend. And there truly was. And anyone who saw kind of the buildup, any interviews I was doing, I just had, I guess like a bit of a chip on my shoulder. And I think I told myself, okay, like enough's enough, like it's time to really sort my shit out and uh and shut some people up so I yeah I was uh I guess a man possessed on that weekend and it was good and to win um it was definitely like the biggest win of my career because of what it meant and for everyone who as I said maybe doubted me or even the team when they signed me, I'm sure they expected

much more from me. So to kind of turn it around and win and be the guy to get the team back to, you know, the winner's circle was, was huge. And I think that, that meant more to me than anything. And that made all these moves and these challenges and the kind of bad days worth it. Like that win there could, that will last me forever. The reason I asked that question was you didn't write, y'all must've forgot, but I believe your caption on Instagram was, I never left, something to that effect, right? And that's essentially saying the same thing.

So that to me was your F you to everyone. Like all you people who said I was gone, look at me now, right? Yeah, I love that. It must've been tremendous. I mean, you probably are still on a high right for the rest of the season you're probably going to be on a high from this yeah because i you know like it's it's not something that i'll rest on now and obviously

every race i i want to i want to obviously do everything i can and i actually want to taste that success again sure but it's um but yeah that moment will like if i think about it now you know of course it still makes me smile and and i want it to because moments like that shouldn't be i don't know they shouldn't pass by too quickly because especially in this sport you know you touched on it it was three years ago that i won my last race over three years ago so it doesn't come around every day. So I definitely want to like soak it in and appreciate it. And, but yeah, this one meant a lot and yeah, the, I never left was, it was pretty good. I read early in your career, you said you, you don't

talk to a mental coach. You don't deal with stuff like that. I'm wondering if now, or maybe during the stretch, if you talk to anyone, if you felt like you needed that kind of help. Yeah. So, um, yes, is the, the kind of, uh, the short answer. And yeah, it was, it was as touched on like the year that I've been challenged most, I think like personally, and I haven't, uh, been home for over a year it's getting close to 18 months now so haven't seen mum and dad no one and I'm still very close to not only family but home and and kind of Perth and where I grew up so all these little challenges were already quite a bit and then the racing wasn't going well so so yeah I um I do uh i do speak to someone who um just kind of helps me out and i think it's just another just event really just to open up get some things off my chest so

it's it's helpful for sure i think for anyone when did you start um so i let's this year this year but um it was it was uh let's say, someone I've known from years past. So we'd already had a relationship. So I guess it wasn't something completely new, but yeah, well, let's say picking something up again. And I'm glad i i'm glad i did and i have and um i think it's also sometimes you just need to be even just like reminded of the little things and be appreciative of kind of the good things that you do have going for you and i think that's where i think the older i get and maybe it's just this phase or this kind of transition into more like i'm now in my thirties and obviously getting slowly more mature is you, you don't want for so many years, I just put F1 as my life and everything and you

invest everything. And if you don't win, you're angry and you're upset. But yeah, it's obviously I saw the first half of the year that the on-track stuff wasn't going good. And also then off the track, I was not really the best person I could be. And I wasn't the most, I don't know, just things weren't like, I wasn't just that good a person. And, you know, whether it was keeping in touch with friends and all of that, you kind of just shut people out.

And so I was also not having fun on race weekends, but also on non-race weekends. And I was like, I don't want the sport to dictate or control my everyday happiness. Because it is just as much as it is, it's also just a sport. And I don't think it should dictate everything that I got going on in my life. So yeah, it's just kind of changing your mindset as well in some ways. That's another thing I connected with you on because I started talking to someone, a therapist, in February. First time in my life I've had horrible anxiety.

My dream job was coming to an end, ESPN. I didn't know what to make of it, where to go. I hadn't seen my parents in 18 months who are in Canada. We had to quarantine as well, similar rules. And I felt like a broken person. And so I read these things about you and I was like, wow. And that's why I was wondering if you talked to someone and if it helped you. Because I feel like if I didn't talk to someone, I'm infinitely happier now.

Infinite is not even being fair. The difference in my psyche and my feelings and my mood. And I think it's in large part due to the fact that I had, I don't want to say courage, but that I finally spoke to someone and was able to figure things out. And so I was wondering if that helped you as well, because I had read some quotes early in your career

where you said you didn't feel like you needed that. But of course, that's a big part of growing up, right? And evolving as a human being. And this past year has been hard on everyone. So kudos to you for doing it and for, you know, admitting to it. Yeah. And actually I, the reason I was, let's say slow to admitting it, it wasn't, I wasn't embarrassed or anything, not at all. It's, it's I've kept it pretty much private. And just, just through, it was just more something that I was like, I just want to do this. And so, yeah, not, I haven't really told

anyone. So that's why I was like, oh, do I say, but, but yeah, it wasn't, it wasn't through being embarrassed or anything. And I think it is cool that yeah, people can do it and people can open up now. And as I said, I think there's a lot we can relate to and I can certainly see how it would have been very beneficial for you. So you glowed as soon as you mentioned it so i i can i can relate to that for sure uh it's interesting that you're a bills fan i'll just keep you for a couple more minutes i feel like we could talk for hours here but i understand you're very stressed this is great thank you so much um i want to talk more mma as well i know i know as long as you want okay i appreciate that um as you know the bills have never won the big one, four straight, and hopefully this year, although this past weekend was a bit of a bummer, and you haven't won a championship. And I saw you say recently, you'd be at peace if you don't. Do you really mean that? Are you saying that only because you haven't? Do you really think in 60, 70 years, when you're old and sitting on your porch on your farm on your farm that you would be at peace if you don't, if you don't win that big one. So I'll, is it still everything I'm in the sport

for? Yes. Um, like I, I am, I still am an F1 driver because I still believe I can win a world title, you know, and I don't, I don't want to just be an f1 driver i don't want to because it's it's it's glamorous but it's not as well and for me just to make up the numbers is not intriguing to me it's not exciting um to just be there and be on tv and whatever it's not it's definitely not what i do it for so i still believe i can do it but as i as i touched on a little bit before with you know correlating like our our sport and MMA is so many other things have to go right. And, you know, there's years where I believed I've been the best driver on the grid. And if I was in that car, I would have won a world title,

but it's not that black and white in our sport. So I think from that point of view, I'll be at peace knowing that maybe, whatever, just the stars don't align. And so be it. But, you know, cause it's, if I really pour everything into it and I deep down know and believe that I put everything I could and all my talent, then I can't really be mad because I'm also trying to be the best in the world. And maybe, maybe there is one other person that's better. And if so, then, you know, that's's that's life so um it doesn't change let's say my mindset or my determination or will to win but it's just more i think it's just more mature approach of like understanding

that yeah it's it's not just talent for talent if you know what i mean yeah if you could remove your driver hat for a second and put on the fan hat who are you most a fan of on the grid um for different reasons i guess but like max um max verstappen because I think he is what he is, you know, and if he doesn't want to talk to someone in the media or whatever, like he won't. And like I think some of the Netflix stuff now with a new season, I think he's said no to a few of the things. And so he kind of just has his way and he's just going to stick by it.

And he's, I don't know. I just, you, you, you get what you see. And I think a lot of people like also admire that and like that. And he might not be the most approachable or the funniest or whatever, but he is max and people know that that's what they're going to get. So, and he's, he's a very, you know, hard racer and obviously people, people like that. So I definitely respect that.

And I've, I mean, I was his teammate. So I've known him for quite a long time as well. And I've also seen him, let's say mature and kind of grow. So, yeah, I not only have respect for him, but I kind of, I think what he does is kind of relatable to some as well. Who are you least a fan of? I was like, you've been way too nice this interview. Who annoys you?

I love you too much to know. Well, yeah, let's look. I'll say one thing. It i just gotta always come across diplomatic i definitely respect all the drivers because i think like you know the mma guys like you're always going to respect someone that steps in a cage or that jumps in a race car that goes you know 200 mile an hour so i definitely respect them all um there's some that I don't speak to as much. Who's the Colby Covington to your Kamaru Usman? Is it wrong that I was supporting Colby on Saturday night?

No, listen, no, listen, whatever floats your boat. Who's the Robert Whitaker to your Izzy? Who's the, who's, who's the Connor to your Aldo? Who's the Chael your anderson silva there's got to be there's always someone well i mean the years i was at red bull it was it was max you know teammates and you know we we definitely had respect for each other but i would say like today we get on better than we did you know back then so there was you know in budapest one year he took me out the start i flipped him off um in azerbaijan we took each other out and like there was a lot of there was definitely some tension so as a rivalry he's probably been my biggest rival

um in the years doesn't mean i don't like him, but, um, you pick the same guy for both answers. That is as diplomatic as it gets. That's crazy. I'll tell you offline. Fair enough. Fair enough. What about you? Let me, let me ask you what's, I mean, I know, I know you're, you're, uh, you're still trying to get into the sport, but you sound like you know enough who's. Oh, I thought you were asking, I thought you were were gonna ask me who i hate as far as mma media

is concerned i was like i won't do that to you who do you kind of see on the grid that you're like ah i don't really like that guy or i don't i can't really relate to him or is there anyone can i tell you something crazy um so the stroll family lives like two blocks from my parents yes it's a crazy thing and we i'd always walk by their house now i don't know if uh i know they have multiple houses but we always knew them as like the tommy hill figure family because i think they brought tommy hill figure to canada and uh i mean like the house is insane but it's crazy that now I see him and I was like, holy crap. Now I was at one point, and maybe you can speak on it. I was like, has he earned his spot? Or is he more like, is this a little silver spoonish? You know,

like, does he just have a dad who's very powerful? And is he that guy? So I want to support the fellow Montrealer. But there's a part of me that wonders if he actually earned his keep. So the jury's still out on me and Mr. Stroll. I don't know. I can answer if you want. Okay. Yes. Has he earned his keep? So for sure, the perception, for sure. And then when he first got in was a lot of people thought no, because yeah, it is a money can get you to certain places in the sport. But I think he has certainly surprised some of those people that probably thought that. So he's had podiums. He had a pole position last year in actually very tricky conditions. His teammate this year is Sebastian Vettel,

who's a four-time world champion. And they've, you know, been doing, or Stroll's been doing, you know, very well, I'd say, against him, or pretty well at the very least. So maybe that sounds diplomatic, but no, he's actually, I think he's surprised the doubters and he does have talent. So, yeah, maybe you could say somewhat fast-tracked perhaps because of because of um let's say the family but uh but he can drive like bottom line is he can drive yep okay obviously growing up jacques villeneuve was a god

um where where we grew up i remember when he won the indy 500 that was a huge deal which actually leads me to ask you you've always said dale Earnhardt was your guy, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Why didn't you go to NASCAR if you loved him so much? In a way, it's a good question. I think I always, so I did have other heroes in other forms of motorsport and you know i think deep down i i still liked formula one more than than anything else and i i kind of yeah i guess still believe that that was the top of motor racing so i was like well that's where i want to go. So, um, so yeah, I think that was that. And I grew up, you know, racing go-karts on circuits. So I wasn't familiar with ovals and as much as I love NASCAR, I probably didn't think that that was what I was, let's say that I was, uh, training for,

or was born to do. Um, but yeah, I, uh, Earnhardt was, Earnhardt was definitely a massive hero of mine. And, you know, I love other sports and even the other types of motorsports because you can learn a lot. Like he was called the intimidator. And I kind of, speaking of mind games, like he played mind games and I love that, you know, how you could kind of bring that into motorsport and yeah. So, but yeah, Formula One. But NASCAR, I think I would have made a good NASCAR driver. I love America. So I would have.

I know. And you got to drive his car recently, which was super, like in the past month, you went in Italy, you get to drive one of your hero's cars. You're on the Ellen show, for God's sakes. I mean, is this surreal for you? Do you ever have moments where you're like, I can't believe a kid from Perth, Western Australia is actually world renowned? I mean, The Ellen Show doesn't get more mainstream than that,

my friend. Is this all incredibly surreal for you at this moment? Absolutely. It is. And I'm glad that it is i i would hate to be numb to all of this and yeah i i do really still pinch myself and all of it all of those three things you just mentioned and like you're you're gonna think i'm talking crap now but even talking to you you know stop it get out of here but it's true true. Cause I, I follow and, you know, it's not, we're not in the same field, I guess, but it's, you know, so I, I, I admire the sport. I admire what you do. And so even just to, yeah, to chat to you. So I, I still am very, um, yeah, like happily overwhelmed by a lot of the experiences I have for sure. And, uh,

yeah, it's, uh, it's, it is weird. It's crazy. Cause I, I can still relate or remember when I was a kid, you know, started racing and yeah, I think as well, I was never, I was never the, the one, you know, I was never the one destined to make it or anything. I was good, but I was, you know, I didn't think I would be where I am today. So all that sort of stuff makes this probably even more surreal, which is cool. Two last quick things, if I can. I did read very recently where you said, if you could do it all over again, you actually wouldn't go down this path. Am I correct in interpreting your recent comments about that? And what do you mean by that? What would you have done if you could do it all over again uh maybe maybe that was uh out of context i think okay because i'm trying to think i probably would have said that it's oh yeah no i know i know it

was probably um it was definitely on one of my uh let's say lower days okay in the sport where yeah i felt it can be it really can be a um i want to swear but i just it can be a not a good sport sometimes it can be a hard sport because yeah as it's like you can pour everything in but things might not work out and so you actually have so many yes i know exactly what i was talking about now so i was talking about the good days instead of the bad days and a team sport you win whatever 50 of the time so your win ratio is pretty high if you will where motor racing yeah i hadn't won in three years um there's so many other things that so you don't actually have that many successful days in this sport unless you're a unicorn so um i think like dealing with the lows or the heartbreak for me is feels much more common in this sport um so that's the part which yeah i'd probably say if i know now i wouldn't do

it again deep down i would because the highs are i think that's what makes the highs higher than anything so yeah it's all for a good cause but it uh it definitely tests you yeah i saw when you won in italy you did the shoeie you're known for the shoeie in your world in our world it's bam bam twivasa who's known for the shoeie he's your world. In our world, it's Bam Bam Tuivasa who's known for the shooey. He's absolutely, you have to admit, he takes it to another level with the spitting and all. It's disgusting. Come on. I mean, a little decorum, right?

Yeah. So I actually remember I was listening to you the first time. And I remember you, I think you Wikipedia'd the shooey and you mentioned my name the very first time you did it. I was like, did I? Wow. They all said my name on the show. That is wild. So that was, I remember that quite well. But yeah, so he's from, I think, Western Sydney, which I believe is like, if you're from Western Sydney, it's probably our version of the hood.

Okay. Yeah. He is a gangster. No doubt. so maybe that's where the spit comes from it's that extra level of intensity but i i've never i've never gone that far no it's not i mean it's gross enough as it is yeah add the spit did you see someone put hot sauce last time was it hot sauce that was the rumor i can't confirm but i mean it was that's mean right i mean come on the poor guy's drinking out of your shoe the least you could do is give him a clean you know beer in there disgusting yeah i know it's kind of gross but um actually sorry this is me fanning out um dustin sent me some of his hot sauce recently so i i tried it um when i'll after austin i tried it and it was great so it is great did you go with

the ko the ko is a little intense if you ask me oh well i'm not i'm not brave enough yeah yeah it's a little intense um will you only reserve the shoei for a first place fit or do you like do it when you're just hanging out with friends as well are you guys that crazy no it's it's definitely a podium thing okay i have done shoeis shoeies before, like, yeah, at a few friends' houses, but it's not – it's when you're – the night's already done by then, if you know what I mean. Like, you're – no one's voluntarily doing one if they're still sober. But so I first did one in 2016.

I'm going to – I'll keep this quick. Don't worry. But so I did it, and it was really because the sport, I felt going to keep this quick. Don't worry. But, um, so I did it and it was really cause the sport I felt a lot of the time was quite stiff and you'd see some drivers get on the podium and they, they wouldn't even look that happy. And I'm like, this is formula one. Like it's a podium, like celebrate it. You know, like let's, let's have some fun with the sport. So I was like, all right, I'm going to do it. It was in Germany, took my shoe off. I finished second. I did it. Everyone was going crazy. And I was like, all right, I've done it. That's it. So then a few races later, I got a podium and I didn't do it. And the crowd was, I don't want to say they were booing, but they were upset that I didn't do it. I was like, all right. Because then in my head, I was like, I'll just do it if I win. Then it's like a celebration. But now it's a podium. Yeah. Anywhere on the podium, I'm doing it. And so just curious, you're competing in Brazil this

weekend. I don't know if I'm allowed to say, am I allowed to say, we're taping this on a Tuesday. You're still in Mexico. When do you go to Brazil? Yeah. So we've got back-to-back weekends now. And I mean, we could have gone to Brazil straight after the race, say on Monday. Um, but I chose to stay an extra day. So I'll leave yet tonight, which is Tuesday night. Okay. We'll get to Brazil Wednesday. So it was more just to have, cause normally the day after a race, you're, you're just fatigued. You're mentally exhausted. You're kind of fried and normally your body's a bit shot as well so doing a nine hour flight the day after if i could avoid it i would so that's why i spent another day here

on the mclaren pj the private jet what do you go how do you guys fly we so all the like the longer international stuff is is commercial what yeah it's expensive you're sitting in there with random schmoes you're going to race in front of hundreds of thousands of people yeah that's crazy what are you talking about lebron james isn't flying with random schmoes to go to milwaukee yeah but he's only going domestic that's true that's true well trust me when they play the the odd game in france or england they're not flying with random schmoes either yeah the. The thing is though, if we, if we did private all year round, I mean, all our earnings would go into our airline fees. So, um, in, in Europe, like we'll go private, I'll say most of

the time, not all the time, but most of the time. And it's really just to also, I mean, I'm sure like the, the basketball players and that just to fit in with the schedule. Um, cause every, every hour you save is an extra hour of recovery. It's an extra hour that you could get training. But yeah, so the long stuff, though, is commercial. But we'll normally sit towards the front. But yeah, because I know you'd be disappointed if I didn't say that. Well, I mean, come on.

They put you in the back with the regular folks. You'd be like a UFC fighter. They get middle seat on coach to go to brazil which is where you're going um that's me throwing a little bit of shade question i'll leave you with this since it's a hot topic right now okay let's see let's see how you answer in their prime, prime, who wins? Kamaru Usman, George St. Pierre. Who wins? Hot topic right now. I mean, some people are saying Kamaru, best welterweight champion of all time. I think it's a little premature. Yeah.

But I think the debate, I mean, the man's won 15 in a row. The resume, in my opinion, just as good as Khabib, just as good as Anderson, just as good as Jon Jones, to be honest, at this point. But in their prime, who wins? I think, so I'm going to say George. It's always hard because I think, yes, in his prime, but also the sports evolved where I guess Kamaru's prime is different to George's prime. Okay.

Yeah, you bring Kamaru's prime is different to George's prime. Okay. Yeah. You bring Kamaru back 10 years or whatever. And I say George and whether I'm saying that because I'm more of a fan of him, I don't know, but I mean, you were rooting for Colby for God's sake. So I should have known.

That is crazy. By the way, you put my mind with that one. Why were you rooting for Colby? I don't even know. I don't even know i don't even know but i i got to a point where i i i kind of started to enjoy all these oh come on all this stuff so it was just funny but um oh anyway i don't want to get into why i wouldn't choose kamara because i anyway he's a lot bigger than me. No, no. I mean, we've learned you're very diplomatic. I'll say George. I think, I still think

this is going to be quite come across quite funny, but George's physique in his prime. Tremendous. The best, the best male body. If I could have any male body, then was george's at his prime there you go by the way have you seen him now at 40 the guy isn't got it yeah might be better he might be in better shape today than he was 10 years ago it's insane it's unbelievable um but yeah well next time we're out in montreal i'll bring not only will george come along but your good self

can come oh my gosh that would be amazing i would be, like I said, my brothers are huge F1 fans. I've actually been, it was probably 2006, I went to Gilles Villeneuve to watch it long before you were on the scene. But it's a huge part of the calendar in Montreal. It was sad. The last couple of years they didn't have it. Hopefully next year it comes back. But I can't tell you enough how much I was looking forward to this

and how much I enjoyed this conversation, my friend. Really, it was a true pleasure to get to know you a little bit today and to find out about your fandom of MMA a few months ago was amazing. The Bills fan. I mean, like I said, I feel like we're kindred spirits, my friend. It's a beautiful thing. So I just want to thank you for the time. Congrats on the recent win. Good luck the rest of the way and continued success to you, man. And keep being you. There

is something very special about you and your smile and the way that you are so relatable and endearing. It just comes across. And so I hope that never changes. I don't think it will ever change. And I'm very excited that you're getting to see your family later on this year because I know what it was like not being with my parents. And then that moment when we got to reunite is a moment I'll never forget. So I'm pumped for you for that as well. I wanted to ask that actually. Thank you. Thank you for all of that. And I appreciate it. And I appreciate you having me. And yes, sorry, when you saw your parents, how long ago was it now? It was July. And I get emotional just thinking about it man it's like you know time

is not infinite right and uh it it killed me that we couldn't see each other uh and they don't live that far away like with you it's okay fine but like they live six hours from where i live and we could not see each other and so i remember like like hugging my mom you know and it felt like it felt like energy was zapped into me. And this coincidentally, not to make this all about myself, I'm sorry, but like, I just left the job, you know, like I felt a little bit broken when I saw them. And yeah, it's just you are, I mean, yeah, you are in for a treat, my friend. Yeah, I can't wait. I can't wait. So, well, nice. Well, I'm, I'm very happy you got your moment. And yeah,

I guess I'll get mine around Christmas time. Amazing. Again, continuing success. Thank you so much for the time. We went well over the time that you were allotting for me, but I'm a fan for life. And hopefully one day we can watch a Bills game together. We could go to the track. We can do whatever the hell, UFC, whatever you want, my friend. Thank you so you so much Daniel I appreciate it no worries second week of February LA what are we saying bills oh that's right oh I'll see you there SoFi Stadium I'll see you there my friend let's do it thanks Ariel all right so there it is my conversation with Daniel Ricciardo how much fun fun was that? How much fun is he? How do you walk away from that interview and not become a huge fan of his and not want to watch F1? If you haven't checked out the Netflix series, by the way, I can't recommend it enough. It's fantastic. They

have done a great job talking about the backstories, the behind the scenes drama, getting you emotionally invested in the characters, which is what they should do in that sport. That's why people love MMA fighters, pro wrestlers, etc. So I could have talked to him for two hours. It was a really, really great conversation. I learned so much about him and the sport, and I have a newfound respect for everyone involved as well. And how about those similarities from the Bills to the swimming to the UFC, you know, fandom to, you know, his relationship with his parents, the mental health stuff. I mean, there's just a lot there. First win was in Montreal. Man, who would have thought? Some might even say we look alike. Some say it. Not me. Some say it. We look alike. I mean, he's younger than I am. He's a bit of a, you know, international playboy,

but some might say we kind of look alike. In any event, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you for your continued support. Thank you for continuing to download and rate, review, comment, follow, all that stuff and more. It means a lot, especially with this one. It means more than you know. And thanks for checking out the video interviews as well on our YouTube channel, youtube.com slash Ariel Hawwani. Thanks as always to the Lovely Feathers for their great theme song. I appreciate them as well. Thanks to our production team, Our Little Train That Could continues to roll along.

Hope you have a great rest of your week, a great weekend, and I will talk to you next week. Take care.