How US Grand Prix organisers are honouring Daniel Ricciardo at COTA

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Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most popular Formula 1 drivers in the United States. Many of the fans attending this weekend’s US Grand Prix will feel his absence has left a hole.

Ricciardo was the ‘star’ of Drive to Survive, the Netflix series that has driven F1’s significant growth stateside. His unique sense of humour made him one of the sport’s most marketable personalities.

RB title sponsors Visa and Cash App lobbied for Ricciardo to stay at the team ahead of the races in Austin and Las Vegas. His presence made those events especially lucrative.

However, the senior leadership at Red Bull felt they had to make a change. Ricciardo wasn’t performing well enough to be an alternative to Sergio Perez, and that was the only reason to keep him at the junior team.

The team have now given Liam Lawson six races to audition for Perez’s drive. He will start the US GP at the back of the grid after a series of engine penalties.

Red Bull have offered Ricciardo an ambassadorial role but he hasn’t attended the race in Austin. His F1 career is almost certainly over, and he’s taking time to ponder his next step.

How F1 fans can show Daniel Ricciardo support at US Grand Prix

Ricciardo chose to skip the US Grand Prix, perhaps to avoid publicity and show respect to Lawson. There has been no sign of any bad blood between the two drivers.

Race organisers have nonetheless made their feelings clear by laying out a ‘Letters to Danny’ book in the Grand Plaza at the Circuit of the Americas, as X user @umlaut_the spotted. Fans will have the opportunity to write a message that will presumably be passed onto the Australian at a later date.

They refer to Ricciardo as ‘Cowboy Ric’, which highlights his affinity with Texas. He once memorably rode into the paddock on horseback.

The 34-year-old departed with the well wishes of many of his rivals. Lewis Hamilton called him a ‘legend’ amid a warm farewell on social media.

The ceremony planned for Daniel Ricciardo if he’d attended Austin

Ricciardo could continue his racing career in the US. He’s shown a strong interest in NASCAR, so that may be a natural next step.

However, Giedo van der Garde has urged Ricciardo to pursue television instead. That would likely spark a bidding war between major networks.

Ricciardo was due to receive the keys to Austin at this weekend’s race. One would expect that ceremony to take place at a later date.

The former Red Bull driver finished on the US GP podium twice (2014 and 2016). He could only manage P15 on his final visit to COTA last year, having just returned from a broken hand.