Daniel Ricciardo admits he was ’embarrassed’ by pit lane horse stunt ahead of US Grand Prix in Texas

Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he was “a little embarrassed” by his latest stunt, which saw him trot into the paddock on horseback in full cowboy gear on Thursday.

Known for his appreciation of American culture, the Australian has taken his admiration to a whole new level ahead of this weekend’s US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Dressed in a Stars-and-Stripes coat and a Stetson hat, Ricciardo rode into the pit lane on horseback while country singer Rob Baird sang his aptly titled “Dreams and Gasoline.”

Footage of the McLaren driver’s arrival in the paddock quickly went viral after the team posted it on Twitter, but the Aussie admitted he was very self-conscious about his stunt.

‘[We thought] it will bring a little extra atmosphere to the paddock,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1.

“As we know, Thursdays are rather quiet.

“So it was cool. Really fun to do. I mean, I was a little embarrassed at first, but I was like, “You know what, just have some fun.”

When asked about his horseshoe friend, the 33-year-old replied: “[Horsey McHorse] is his nickname. We didn’t know Blue’s name when we got the degrees, but I think Horsey McHorse might stay there.”

While Ricciardo tries to smile in the paddock, his near future remains a little more serious.

The eight-time Grand Prix winner will leave McLaren at the end of the season, despite having 12 months left on his three-year contract.

Ricciardo rode with country singer Rob Baird. horseback into the pitlane in Austin

The Australian was dressed in a Stars-and-Stripes jacket and a Stetson hat

And he revealed that the idea came from a desire to bring some fun to the paddock on Thursday, which is traditionally considered ‘a quiet day’.

The Woking-based team plans to replace Ricciardo with compatriot Oscar Piastri and has agreed to pay the former Red Bull star $14 million to split up a year earlier than expected.

Earlier this month, Ricciardo admitted he will not be on the grid next season, but insisted he was determined to return to Formula 1 in 2024.

The uncompetitive Williams and Haas are currently the only teams to finalize their 2023 line-up, after Alpine signed Pierre Gasly and Alpha Tauri replaced him with Dutchman Nyck de Vries.

Ricciardo leaves McLaren at the end of the season, a year earlier than expected

The Australian has endured two very difficult seasons at McLaren since joining in 2021

However, Haas boss Guenther Steiner has offered Ricciardo a Formula 1 lifeline.

“If he’s interested in us, he’s not shy about calling me. I’m not going to chase him,” Steiner told the Associated Press ahead of the US Grand Prix.

“I want him to decide what he wants to do for himself before being talked into anything.

Haas boss Guenther Steiner has offered Ricciardo a Formula 1 lifeline

“I think he’s a good driver and I don’t know how he got to the situation he’s in now, but I think he needs to come to terms with himself and decide what he’s going to do.”

Haas has yet to renew Mick Schumacher’s contract for 2023 and Steiner suggested hiring Ricciardo would be a major coup.

He would be a big hit for us. He was a race winner and now he is out of a job,” he said.

“He was the race winner last year. I rate him as a driver, I have no idea why he is not performing now. He has to figure that out.’