WATCH: McLaren F1 boss teases Daniel Ricciardo’s bet amid the Monza podium hype

It’s no secret that Daniel Ricciardo is a die-hard fan of NASCAR racing legend Dale Earnhardt. The Australian grew up with the late American race in the attractive blue and yellow number 3 Chevrolet.

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Ahead of the 2021 F1 season, McLaren F1 boss Zak Brown even gave the Australian a No. 3 Wrangler miniature car. Soon enough, however, to up the ante, Brown had claimed he was ready to give Ricciardo the actual car if he managed to finish on the podium in his first McLaren stint.

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Well, 6 months and 13 race weekends later, it looks like the honey badger might finally win the bet against his boss.

Brown teases Daniel Ricciardo’s bet on social media

The ongoing Italian Grand Prix could be Ricciardo’s greatest chance of a podium for the British team. With Valtteri Bottas starting from the end of the grid and Lewis Hamilton stuck in the second row, Ricciardo only needs a perfect escape in the event of a light failure and the rest will evolve accordingly.

Hence, amid such good prospects, Brown has already started teasing the bet. The American took to Twitter to reveal a video warming up the 1984 Wrangler.

Brown also added a message for Ricciardo. “Do you remember our podium bet, Daniel Ricciardo? I’m just warming it up for you, ”he wrote.

Can Ricciardo claim his first podium for Mclaren at Monza?

The good news for Ricciardo is that his only threat could come from Hamilton, who certainly has a much better car in hand. And unlike the sprint, it doesn’t seem likely enough that any of the McLaren drivers would be able to defend themselves against the 7-time world champion.

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So if Ricciardo gets off to a good start and is still replaced by Hamilton, the Australian could still see the checkered flag in P3. Hence, all eyes will be on how well Ricciardo manages to pull away from light failures.

Formula 1 F1 – Italian Grand Prix – Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy – September 11, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after second place and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo after third place in the sprint qualification pool via REUTERS / Lars Baron

Of course, there is minor possibility that Perez and Bottas could pose a threat to Ricciardo in the latter part of the race. But it will entirely depend on whether they managed to fight their way through the field.

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So a podium for Ricciardo seems practical enough this weekend in Monza. But let’s wait and see what reality has in store for the Australian.

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