McLaren star Ricciardo ‘happy to hit’ F1 photographers after near miss

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Daniel Ricciardo hit out at photographers encroaching onto the pit lane at the Italian Grand Prix, labelling the workers f***ing idiots” after nearly colliding with a man. The Australian was left irritated by the attempts of the snapper to get a close shot as he came into the pits during a free practice session.

The 33-year-old is usually a happy and care-free figure when seen out and about around the circuit. But once he is in the car, Ricciardo takes his racing seriously and was notably unhappy with the risks taken by the photographers with their lives and his just to get a close-up shot.

“These f***ing idiots man,” he fumed on the radio after spotting a photographer on his right as he came into the pits for a change of tyres.

Ricciardo’s humour means that he often makes tongue-in-cheek remarks about his own driving or his colleagues. And his ‘threat’ to the photographer was surely made in the same breath, saying he would be “happy” to hit one of them if they crossed his path.

“I’m happy to hit one of them” he said. But the issue continued as he came back in a second time, complaining he “still can’t get deep enough in the box with him there”.

Despite his near-miss with the photographer. Ricciardo was notably more pleased after close the gap to his team-mate Lando Norris during the session at Monza at getting his car into Q3 and qualifying eighth.

“I am happy with the session. I think Q3, it was a bit of handful through the second sector, even the first actually,” Riccardo told reporters.

“It wasn’t completely hooked up and to be honest my lap in Q2 I was kind of like on the limit with trying to get everything out of it. It’s obviously been hard for me to really feel comfortable on the limit of this car.

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“I don’t know where I start… but I gained some [places]. I can see the pole-sitter, that’s a nice feeling, been a while since I’ve been towards that end of the grid and nice to do it back here, of course, where last year there were some good memories. I am really filled with optimism.”

McLaren will start the race on the second row with Norris in third and Ricciardo fourth due to a number of penalties behind handed out to drivers who qualified ahead, including Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

The eight-time race winner is unlikely to see a repeat of his heroics at Monza last year, having led home an incredible 1-2 for McLaren after Verstappen and Hamilton had come together at Turn 1.

It remains Ricciardo’s only victory for the Papaya since he signed in 2021 and he is unlikely to add to his tally with the team as he prepares to leave at the end of the season. Oscar Piastri has been signed up to drive for the team in 2023, with Ricciardo’s future still yet to be determined.

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