When Daniel Ricciardo explained why Charles Leclerc was the biggest Taylor Swift fan amongst the F1 drivers

Former F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo once suggested that fellow driver Charles Leclerc was arguably the biggest Taylor Swift fan on the Formula 1 grid at the time. He also took into discussion his music career, further revealing that he hadn't heard any of Leclerc's music at the time.

Taylor Swift is one of the most popular celebrities in the current era of music, with over 100 billion streams across different music services. It is no surprise that her popularity has also spread to the motorsports world, with quite a few fans on the Formula 1 grid. Former driver Daniel Ricciardo was once questioned about the same.

During his final stint with VCARB, The Red Flags Podcast questioned Ricciardo if he would drive for an F1 team owned by the pop singer, to which he replied positively.

"Yeah," Ricciardo said. "I reckon Swifty, and then I'm thinking a little shifty, snapping gears * laughs *"

He was then asked about who might be the biggest Swift fan on the Formula 1 grid.

"Ooh, I don't know. Maybe Leclerc."

Subsequently, Daniel Ricciardo discussed Charles Leclerc's music career. The Ferrari driver released a few songs on streaming services earlier, consisting mostly of instrumentals

"It's just like, the piano, right? There's no vocals, is there? It's good? I don't know, I haven't heard * laughs * Sorry Charles."

Ricciardo remained on the grid until the 2024 F1 Singapore GP, following which, Racing Bulls replaced him with Liam Lawson. He was out of the racing picture up until a few months ago, when he finally announced his retirement from racing and a new venture with Ford.

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Daniel Ricciardo signs new deal with Ford Racing, claiming his "racing days are behind me"

The Australian driver left McLaren at the end of the 2022 F1 season and joined Red Bull as their reserve/test driver in 2023. Later that season, Racing Bulls signed him as Nyck de Vries's replacement, and he continued racing for them till the 2024 Singapore GP, as mentioned.

This turned out to be the last Formula 1 race of his long career as he was replaced by Liam Lawson. Although there were rumors of a possible return with Cadillac, Daniel Ricciardo soon announced his retirement from racing.

He then signed a deal with Ford Racing to serve as their ambassador. His statement mentioned that his racing days were "behind" him.

"While my racing days are behind me, my love for anything with wheels will always remain high, and for that I am proud to be partnering with Ford to become a Global Ford Racing Ambassador." "I am going to be working closely with the Ford Racing team and specifically focus on the amazing Raptor brand and lifestyle that Raptor has become for many of Ford's customers."

Daniel Ricciardo's career accounted for eight race wins, most of them with Red Bull Racing, and 32 total podiums.

Edited by Gunaditya Tripathi