Daniel Ricciardo Of McLaren Tests Positive Ahead Of The New F1 Season!

There are few drivers out there in the world of Formula 1 as Daniel Ricciardo. A really fast charger, the Perth-born Australian Formula 1 talent has emerged as a star. It won’t be really wrong to consider Daniel Ricciardo as F1 hot property. There are teams constantly looking out for the lanky racing star. There was a time where it did seem certain that the Aussie would move to Ferrari but the move fizzled out and he was captured by the Brits.

He’s been around for a decade the tectonic world of motorsport and has already accumulated eight race wins in the sport. That’s not to forget the thirty two podium finishes that he’s bagged over an eleven year stint.

His has been a journey that turned into a strong position with the coming of the McLaren stint, where Daniel Ricciardo is currently partnering one of the foremost talents in all of Formula 1- Lando Norris.

Together, Norris and Ricciardo will continue to mount a massive McLaren charge in the 2022 Formula 1 season. But there’s just a little bit of a problem with that.

So what is it?

Apparently, Daniel Ricciardo broke the news to the world just hours ago about having contracted COVID having tested positive for the Coronavirus.

Interestingly, true to his light-hearted and jovial ways of conversing with fellow drivers and fans, Ricciardo had a distinct style of breaking the news of his health to the world.

He took to twitter and told teammate Lando Norris, “Babe am not well!”

And that was that; that was Daniel Ricciardo’s way of telling the world that he had tested positive for COVID 19. Now here’s an interesting catch.

The new Formula 1 season is all set to unfold from March 20. Doing little math tells us that it’s not even ten days from now. Therefore, the key question is- will Ricciardo be fine just in time for the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season or will he sit out of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix?

Frankly, McLaren aren’t panicking. Daniel Ricciardo’s team has asserted that the famous Aussie driver shall be ready to race by the time the first Grand Prix of the season goes underway at the famous Sakhir international circuit.

Meanwhile, a team statement from the McLaren stable had the following to share in regards to Daniel Ricciardo’s health status:

“McLaren Racing can confirm that after feeling unwell from Wednesday onwards in Bahrain, Daniel Ricciardo has now returned a positive PCR test for covid-19.

Daniel is therefore continuing to isolate in accordance with local regulations. Under these regulations Daniel will be released in time for next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. Daniel is already beginning to feel better, and we wish him well for a quick recovery.”

That being told, Bahrain marks the start to what is clearly a packed Formula 1 season. With a set of new rules and regulations, the twenty three race-calendar will be a really challenging one for both drivers as well as teams.

Last year, the most controversial yet dramatic contest of the sport, i.e., the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix sent F1 into a tizzy. It cornered the sport into a polarising zone with several holding the view that seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was robbed of another championship triumph. There are still hosts of fans according to whom Max Verstappen is not really a champ, the Dutchman being ‘awarded’ the win.

All of this will come into play as the mega Hamilton versus Verstappen rivalry shall re-emerge starting Bahrain and will once again form dominant discussion for what’s poised to be a really long season.

But where do you, as a fan, see Daniel Ricciardo this year? Will he be able to make it to the top three or four and shall one see a continued fight for supremacy between McLaren and Ferrari that began in 2021?