Daniel Ricciardo spent a lifetime reminding another team manager not to bet against him and former boss Cyril Abiteboul is finally paying tribute to the Australian driver.
Abiteboul was managing director of the Renault F1 team between 2014 and 2020 and had the task of bringing the two-time world champion back to the top of the grid.
Getty Images – Getty
Ricciardo was with Renault for only two years but helped the team get back on the podium
Getty
He later brought McLaren back to the top step and provoked two lifelong engagements from team bosses
The French director struck a huge coup in 2019 when he signed eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull Racing to start the Renault project, but the team struggled to climb the order.
Despite the poor form, Ricciardo made a bet with his former boss that he would have to get a tattoo should Ricciardo manage to get the car on the podium, which he did twice in the 2020 season.
With third places in Germany and Italy, Abiteboul lost the bet, and he also lost his job when the team was renamed Alpine F1 for the 2021 season.
Still, Abiteboul stayed true to his word and eventually took inspiration from his former driver and team.
YouTube – Daniel Ricciardo
Ricciardo couldn’t hide his joy when his old boss finally decided it was time
YouTube – Daniel Ricciardo
But first Abiteboul had to clarify the plan with his unfortunate wife
Ricciardo coined the nickname “The Honey Badger” earlier in his Formula 1 career, inspired by one of the most aggressive animals in nature.
Abiteboul chose to have the wild mammal in his tattoo as a tribute that protrudes from an arch symbolizing the top half of the Renault logo.
Ricciardo uploaded footage to YouTube in which the tattoo was placed on an incredibly nervous looking Abiteboul who even had to ask his wife’s permission.
But despite the drama, he’s not even the first F1 manager Ricciardo has made an impression on for a lifetime.
YouTube – Daniel Ricciardo
The process didn’t look like much fun
YouTube – Daniel Ricciardo
But even with the A completed later, the results were pretty impressive
After two years, Ricciardo left Renault to join McLaren for the 2021 season and the Woking-based team looked revitalized with him and British star Lando Norris at the wheel.
So much so that they clinched a stunning one-two at Monza this year, and incredible, McLaren are still the only team to have achieved that feat this season.
Getty
Ricciardo and Norris formed a dream team at McLaren
Ricciardo was in unstoppable shape after sending his papaya rocket inside Max Verstappen on the first corner of the day and securing his first win in 66 races.
McLaren boss Zak Brown was so enthusiastic about the performance that he too decided to capture it with a tattoo of Monza on his biceps.
Ricciardo is among the top Formula 1 drivers to never have won a championship, but any team boss willing to give him a chance in the future will surely have doubts now.
Get the EDGE
talkSPORT EDGE is the free soccer app with which you are one step ahead of your friends with short, sharp and shareable content.
Stay up to date on everything that’s happening in the football world with the latest news, live scores and in-app betting.
How can i get it?
It’s available on iPhone and Android devices.
For iPhone, download talkSPORT EDGE from the App Store here.
For Android, download talkSPORT EDGE from the Play Store here.
The post Daniel Ricciardo’s former team principal Cyril Abiteboul reveals honey badger tattoo after a hilarious bet on Drive to Survive, but he’s not the only one to lose to the McLaren driver first appeared on monter-une-startup.
