F1’s Daniel Ricciardo Loves His 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor: ‘Coolest Car I’ve Ever Owned’
Ricciardo’s driven it all, and more importantly, can afford just about any new car out there. But he only has eyes for his Raptor.
When off the track, Formula 1 drivers are known to drive fancy-schmancy cars to match their fancy-schmancy girlfriends. It's a trend that's been embedded into the F1 paddock since the inception of the sport. This makes it extra refreshing when a top-flight driver opts for something more, say, proletarian. Something like an American pickup truck. Unsurprisingly, fan-favorite racing driver Daniel Ricciardo is such a person, because his favorite ride happens to be a Ford F-150 Raptor.
Speaking to The Drive's Social Media Editor Maddox Kay in New York City, Ricciardo—who is now a reserve driver at Red Bull after being cut prematurely from McLaren—expressed his love for the popular pickup.
"From a vehicle point of view, the Raptor is maybe the coolest car I've ever owned," Ricciardo told The Drive.
This is quite a statement considering Ricciardo has had the chance to play with (and own) many fine-pedigree automobiles over the course of his F1 career. From Aston DB11s to McLaren Arturas—and oh, a brief stint in Renault Clios—the smilin' Australian has hooned them all. But to him, none hoon quite like a Raptor.
"I got the Raptor in 2017 and I keep it in California," added Ricciardo. "I actually bought the Raptor before I bought a house [there]. Since I was young I loved them. We couldn't get the Raptors in Australia and me and my friends just love utes and trucks and hoped one day we could get one. When I started spending more time in California I was like, I need to buy one. I actually kept it at my mate's house for like a year."
The Red Bull driver didn't go into detail about his truck, but given his employer's new partnership with Ford, something tells me he might trade in that 2017 for a new one. In fact, we now know Ricciardo's actually driven a new Raptor—likely a Raptor R—after commenting on the Instagram post of his good friend Dax Shepard.
"Dude I drove one yesterday!! Soo good! I’m excited for you. I’m excited for us. Pick me up later," commented Ricciardo on a photo of Shepard's own Raptor R.
Perhaps it's not a matter of if he'll get a new Raptor, but what color?
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