Fans criticize Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 commentary debut with Will Arnett at Canadian Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo has received a social media post after making his F1 commentary debut alongside TV star Will Arnett at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The two close friends teamed up to host an alternate broadcast of the Montreal race, with Ricciardo combining his duties as Red Bull’s reserve driver at the track.

To no surprise, Red Bull ace Max Verstappen recorded the team’s 100th F1 victory, leading every lap to finish ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, while Lewis Hamilton and his silver Mercedes finished third.

But all many could talk about was Ricciardo and Arnett on ‘The Grandstand’ when the light-hearted broadcast made its debut.

The show is being billed as the F1 equivalent of the NFL’s popular ‘Manningcast’ alternative commentary on Monday night games, where Super Bowl-winning brothers Peyton and Eli Manning dissect the play with their trademark humour.

But the F1 version didn’t quite live up to the NFL legends – despite also featuring two superstar football players on the show.

Two-time Pro Bowl Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, a close friend of Ricciardo, stopped by for a chat, as did legendary running back Marshawn Lynch.

Then there was Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey and comedian The Kid Mero.

But despite the blockbuster roster of cameo appearances, the broadcast was disappointing, with many fans tearing the awkward show to shreds online.

‘This f**king sucks! This cannot be overlooked. Delete,” one commented, while another wrote, “Who’s the idiot at ESPN who thought this was a good idea?”

‘Don’t do this again. Never seen a worse show,” said another.

“The coverage is so bad. ESPN is killing F1 in the United States. Commentary is so cringe,” chided a fed-up American.

Some criticized Arnett’s take on the race, with the Arrested Development star demonstrating a profound lack of F1 knowledge.

Will needs to stop talking. Is he even watching the race right now? He only talks about nonsense. Daniel is the only one trying to talk about the race,” said one of them.

“Nice to hear Ricciardo and Dempsey talk about the race and the racing, but Will Arnett isn’t cut out for this at all. It is a mess! He looks so confused and just repeats what they tell him in his ear. I will have to turn the volume off for the rest of the race,” wrote another.

Streaming issues didn’t really help, and it was clear there wasn’t much preparation for what was a clumsy broadcast.

For their part, both Arnett and Ricciardo admitted it wasn’t their best effort.

“You know what, that was harder than a race. There’s a lot going on. I’m sure we’ll get used to it (though),” said Ricciardo.

“Listen man, that was our first ever. We just did a TV show! That was a live television program,’ a clearly pleased Arnett replied.

Aside from an F1 race, it was quite a hodgepodge of content.

At one point, Ricciardo practically ate Canada’s national dish, poutine, before washing it down with what is essentially Canada’s national liquid: maple syrup.

He was especially excited when his good friend Allen appeared on screen, tuning in from the Los Angeles Country Club where he was watching the US Open.

The pair have become very close since they met at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2019.

They consider themselves sort of kindred spirits, with Ricciardo saying in 2021: ‘We’re like stepbrothers. Somehow we just became best friends.’

It’s the ultimate bromance, and it was obvious to viewers

‘I have to get these out! We both feel very comfortable saying that we’re both crushes! It’s one thing,” Ricciardo recently said of the Bills quarterback.

Ricciardo finally got to see his bestie play in person for the first time last year, when he watched Allen and the Bills take on the New York Jets.

The Red Bull reserve driver is clearly enjoying his time on the sidelines and it remains to be seen if he will be back in a car next season.

If the fans are to be believed, they would certainly rather see him in a car than in a commentary box with Arnett.