Alpha Tauri driver Daniel Ricciardo has been warned to watch out for new obstacles that could pop up when Formula 1 hosts the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix on Sunday
In Sunday’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, drivers of Formula 1 will have to avoid more than just chicanes and hairpins.
Alien dancers could be one of the challenges, Daniel Ricciardo has been warned, as Sin City gets ready to host a wild party in Nevada. The AlphaTauri driver was promoting the race’s inception in Vegas this week on The Jimmy Kimmel Show when the conversation veered to more titillating diversions that could occur.
“You gotta be careful though because you know, there are people with like Margaritas and uh, Daquiris that are like four-and-a-half feet tall,” cautioned Kimmel. “Don’t underestimate the possibility that you could run someone over, okay? I’m saying, “If you see a red light, stop!”
As if Ricciardo didn’t face enough of a task attempting to keep the rest of the grid at bay. And the Australian played up to that analogy as he responded: “I guess what you’re saying is there’s 19 others that I have to watch out for but it could be more?”
“It could be thousands! There could be magicians, there could be strippers walking across,” exclaimed Kimmel. “You don’t want to hit a stripper!”
A stripper on the track is the last thing Ricciardo needs as he looks to inject some late life into AlphaTauri’s campaign in the penultimate race of the year. The Australian regained a starting drive with the Italian manufacturer midway through this season and has agreed a deal until the end of 2024.
Bosses would be happy to see Ricciardo, 34, repeat his seventh-place finish from two weeks ago in Mexico, where he competed in just five races in 2023. Despite this, he is ahead of five drivers who have at least as much (or significantly more) experience this season.
The same won’t apply to the strippers in the unlikely event that any of the onlookers decide to get involved. The season-ending match in Abu Dhabi is expected to have a much more somber atmosphere than the one in Vegas, almost certainly because of this.
That’s not to say Ricciardo and company won’t have time to enjoy Nevada’s nightlife after all the racing is over. Mercedes’ employees might not be able to fully enjoy the event, though, as principal Toto Wolff forbade gambling on the team.
