Daniel Ricciardo turns up at Meta Gala after criticising event

Daniel Ricciardo has turned heads by turning up at the Meta Gala in America after previously criticising the event which Lewis Hamilton has attended. The 33-year-old has some extra time on his hands this season after having his contract with McLaren terminated early last year amid struggling form.

Ricciardo followed in the footsteps of Mercedes star Hamilton by attending the exclusive Meta Gala in New York and was filmed talking to Academy Award winning movie star Anne Hathaway. The Australian star’s appearance at the glitzy award show came as a shock as two years ago he criticised the same event stating it was “too formal”.

He told the the Pardon My Take podcast: “After seeing some of the images, not really. Look, I mean, the way some of the fashion is now, I think you probably could get away with that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it would be an experience, but I don’t know. It seems a little formal for me.”

Ricciardo stepped back from F1 this season after finishing in the top-10 on seven occasions last season. The former Red Bull driver won the eighth race of his career in his first year with McLaren but then struggled to match that form last season.

Youngster Lando Norris outperformed his more experienced team-mate last season resulting in Ricciardo being axed with Oscar Piastri replacing the Australian. Popular driver Ricciardo said his time competing in mid-field with McLaren has taught him that he is not ‘the perfect driver’.

“I’ll always take some responsibility or accountability,” he conceded via Speedcafe. “For many years, I truly believed I was the best, and I am the best in the world, so whatever the situation, I’ll be able to overcome it. And obviously with McLaren it was tough for me to do that. So yeah, I was aware that I’m not the perfect driver, I do have weaknesses, so I’ll always hold something on to myself.”

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Ricciardo returned to the F1 paddock for the Australian Grand Prix completing jobs as Red Bull’s reserve driver and hosting the team’s guests in his home country. The Perth native said that doing simulator work with Red Bull has helped to restore his confidence as a driver.

He said: “Now, getting back into Red Bull, I felt as well I was certainly a little bit… my confidence was probably not what it used to be as well. Even I was a little bit probably timid getting into the simulator, trying to downplay how it was going to go. But as the day went on, the more comfortable I felt, and the more it just felt like I was kind of back home in a car that I honestly felt comfortable with.”

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