Young Aussie Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo has had an emotionally draining start to the year, gaining his first podium and then having it taken away just hours later. Social media has gone to town, calling him a cheat and making him the butt of many jokes. Will the chippy West Australian cope?
Storified by leigh1802 · Wed, Mar 19 2014 22:47:15
Daniel Ricciardo drove a perfect race in an under-performing car in last weekends Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix opener in Melbourne. He finished 2nd, his first podium in his first race in his new team. But alas, shortly after podium celebrations wrapped up, he was disqualified for a fuel flow breach. This was obviously no fault of Dan's, but an error on behalf of his Red Bull Racing Team.
http://t.co/nEHche5gL9 - Australian Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo disqualified after finishing se... http://t.co/JEHSLTSHqS #ricciardo #f1
What really frustrates me is that in the subsequent minutes following Daniel Ricciardo's exclusion from the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, he was labelled a cheat. Casual, uninformed F1 observers assume that Dan specifically performed the wrongdoing, and as a result his reputation may be unreasonably tarnished in what was a heavily publicized International event. And then there are some who are deliberately controversial just to gain publicity.
Daniel Ricciardo goes down in history as the first Australian sportsman dto disregard the rules and *gasp!* cheat. http://t.co/77KDQ5gEXy
Genuinely sickening. People with no idea about what is really happening shouldn't be so quick to criticize young, up-and-coming talent. And with the uninformed idiots comes the distasteful jokes...
Dan will face unprecedented pressure off the track to perform on the track at the next round in Malaysia, in what could be a lose-lose situation for the young Aussie. If he cant repeat a podium placing, suggestions will arise that he can't perform without cheating. And if he succeeds, there will of course be some claiming he has cheated. Somehow though, I doubt any of this painful background chorus of madness will bother the man himself.
Ricciardo has shown outstanding resilience and a cool head under pressure on the track, so there is nothing to say he cant do it off the track as well. With his trademark smile that lights up a nation and a typical Aussie persona, Dan will bounce back.
For more information on the 2014 Australian Formula 1 GP, here is a review and highlights of the race.
