Advertisement

Daniel Ricciardo in awkward TV moment with Ellen DeGeneres

Pictured here, Daniel Ricciardo has a laugh during his appearance on The Ellen Show.
Daniel Ricciardo was put on the spot during his guest appearance on The Ellen Show. Pic: Twitter@TheEllenShow

Daniel Ricciardo found himself at the centre of a funny moment during an interview with American TV superstar Ellen DeGeneres, ahead of Monday morning's (AEDT) Mexican Grand Prix.

The Aussie Formula One ace was a guest on Thursday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he was chatting with the host about the Netflix docu-series Formula 1: Drive to Survive.

'SHATTERED': Supercars driver ruled out amid vaccination controversy

WOW: F1 icon's daughter at centre of Dan Ricciardo romance rumours

'HOLY COW': World in disbelief over 'insane' Unites States GP scenes

Ellen admitted the series had made an unexpected F1 fan out of her as Ricciardo answered some of her questions about the sport, in front of the studio audience.

One question in particular brought a chuckle to the charismatic 32-year-old, who was explaining the gruelling nature of being behind the wheel for up to two hours in some races.

“When ya’ll get out, you’re just soaking wet, sweating. That’s crazy,” Ellen started off saying.

“You don’t even have time to think, ‘I’m thirsty’ or anything like that. You can’t even think about that.

“And what if you have to pee? What if you drink before you get in the car?

Ricciardo laughed: “It’s a question we get asked a lot, ‘Have you ever peed in the car?’

“Everyone can relate to peeing, you need to relax. And it’s hard to relax driving at those speeds.

“I’ve never done it. If you have to go, you just painfully hold on until the end, but every bump, every little kerb you hit hurts.”

Seen here, Dan Ricciardo speaking to Ellen DeGeneres on her TV show.
Dan Ricciardo spoke to Ellen DeGeneres before the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix. Pic: Twitter@TheEllenShow

Ellen quizzed the Aussie about the fitness regimes for F1 drivers, with Ricciardo explaining why core strength is crucial in the sport.

Ricciardo explained: “It’s intense. You’re right, a lot of people say, ‘Well why do you need to be fit? I drive my car to work every day and it’s a breeze’.

“The races are 90 minutes long … there’s what’s called G-forces and because we corner so fast, there’s like four or five Gs on our body, and that is a force which is trying to basically pull us out of the car.

“So we need a lot of core strength, neck strength to basically just hold on. And we can lose up to between eight to 10 pounds (3.5-4.5kg) in a race.”

Max Verstappen hits back at Daniel Ricciardo comparison

Ricciardo goes into the Mexican GP eight in the drivers' standings, with McLaren teammate Lando Norris ahead of him by 44 points.

The Aussie's former teammate Max Verstappen denied suggestions Ricciardo was the only racer that could match him in a Red Bull car after he jumped ship in 2019.

The pair experienced a competitive relationship while No.1 and No.2 drivers at Red Bull.

The Australian was the more experienced and it wasn't until 2018 that Verstappen finished with more podium finishes at Red Bull.

Ricciardo moved to Renault before the 2019 season, with Red Bull boss Christian Horner describing it at the time as "running away from a fight".

The Australian spent two relatively frustrating years with the French manufacturer before eventually joining McLaren for 2021.

Max Verstappen (pictured left) has shut down any suggestion Daniel Ricciardo (pictured right) was the only racer that could match him in a Red Bull car. (Getty Images)
Max Verstappen (pictured left) has shut down any suggestion Daniel Ricciardo (pictured right) was the only racer that could match him in a Red Bull car. (Getty Images)

However, in a recent interview with GP Racing, Verstappen denied a claim that Ricciardo was the only driver that could match him in the same race car and that he would have struggled now.

Verstappen said his skills, which came with experience in an F1 car, has seen him rise above the field.

“I think I also got better eventually, because I have more and more experience...So I find it also difficult to really compare fairly, you know," Verstappen said.

“I find it a bit unfair to say that he was maybe more close, and I think there are a lot of things to it. For sure, at the time, Daniel is, you know … He’s still quite a bit older and more experienced.

“But I think I gained a lot of experience in the last few years...And I definitely think there the big jump started to happen, which I think is a natural process in the first five years of your F1 career.”

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.