This weekend, Formula 1 teams, of course, did not bring their usual motorhomes. However, for those who carefully follow the evolution of such buildings, there was still something to see in the paddock.
Not far from the McLaren boxes one could see a motorhome in excellent condition based on the Ford Condor bus. This car was created in 1972 and was used by the McLaren division of the team, which at that time raced Indycar (and also sold cars to collectives-clients). In the 70s the pilots on McLaren won the Indianapolis 500 miles race three times and became the best twice at the end of the season.
The motorhome was last used during the CART Championship round at Watkins Glen in 1980. Shortly thereafter, McLaren stopped building cars for American racing and the Ford Condor took over. Last year, current team leader Zach Brown bought the car at auction for $32,500. All these years, the car was kept in close to perfect condition - and at the time of purchase, Brown said that somehow he would definitely come to the paddock of one of the World Championship stages in a historical vehicle.
Earlier this season, the McLaren F1 boss promised that if he wins a race, Daniel Riccardo will have the opportunity to test the NASCAR car on the track , which was driven by the famous American racer Dale Earnhardt. Riccardo is a huge fan.
When Daniel was still a young kart driver, he rooted for Dale Earnhardt, and the seven-time NASCAR champion nicknamed The Intimidator was an Australian idol. In those years, Riccardo collected models of Earnhardt's cars, and later acquired several models by Dale Earnhardt Jr., the son of a seven-time champion.
When the Intimidator died in February 2001 in an accident at the oval racetrack in Daytona, Daniel could not hold back his tears: “I remember walking down the hall and crying, then I called a friend, thanks to whom I began to root for Earnhardt, and we cried together."
In the Australian city of Perth, the Riccardo family lived in house number 3, so Daniel played with this number in karting, then not yet knowing that it was also Dale Earnhardt's number. Of course, he chose the same number in 2014 in Formula 1, but in honour of the hero of his youth.
Riccardo wore a black helmet this weekend, also a tribute to Earnhardt, who in the 90s preferred black because it was the signature colour of his then sponsor, the American company Goodwrench. The NASCAR rider's helmet said ‘Goodwrench Service Plus’, and Daniel changed the lettering a little. We see ‘McLaren Service Plus’ on his helmet.
The difficulty was that the car itself was in Brown's collection in Europe. However, on the eve of the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, the McLaren team announced that the car was delivered to Texas, and Riccardo was able to drive along it on the American highway. On this occasion, Riccardo also competed in the main races of the weekend wearing a helmet that echoes that of Earnhardt.
The Australian ran a 20-minute demonstration ride in this historic Chevrolet Monte-Carlo, whose 700-horsepower V8 engine develops at about 7,600 rpm and produces such an impressive roar that it clearly drowns out the modern engines used in Formula 1 today. It is clear that after completing the race, the McLaren driver was ecstatic.
“I was just out of breath, driving this car has to be really tense! It was cool! It's just that when you hear the sound of this engine and change gears, it already seems to you that you have tamed this car. It needs to be subdued. Still, with handling it is much better than I thought. But when it tried to slip into a skid and had to be caught, the sensations were not the most comfortable, since the steering wheel had to be intercepted, and I was not used to it. In general, the car took away some of my strength. "
Daniel Riccardo is also known for his habit of making bets with the bosses of his teams. As a Renault driver, he argued that if he finishes on the podium, the head of the team, Cyril Abitboul, would get himself a tattoo. Recently it became known that the promise will be fulfilled. It became known that Brown has filled a very minimalistic image with the circuit of the circuit in Monza and the date of September 12, 2021. It was on this day that Daniel Riccardo brought McLaren its first victory since 2012, winning for the first time for the team since Brown joined.
Riccardo speaks cowboy - and everyone is ecstatic!
The Australian delighted the paddock with his ability (and willingness) to reproduce the accent of the American South.
Two years ago, the driver, then driving for Renault, wore an unusual helmet and shoes in the American race. The headdress and boots of the Australian were adorned with the symbols of the Texas Longhorns - a kind of student team of Texas, participating in the American football competition.
At the same time, Daniel first tried to give an interview with an accent typical for residents of the South of the United States. It was fun - but the pilot only lasted 20 seconds, saying after that: "Oh my God, I will again speak my native Australian." This year, Riccardo again decided to pay tribute to the manner of speech prevalent in Texas. The first attempt, made at a press conference on Thursday, came out so-so: this time the McLaren driver could not stand even 20 seconds - however, he was partly hindered by Max Verstappen, who was sitting next to him and bursting into laughter. But a little later, in an interview with the Formula 1 media group, Daniel showed real class - he spoke with a southern accent for more than one and a half minutes!
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