Daniel Ricciardo is now the honorable Colonel of Kentucky as he gets ready for action at the 2023 F1 Austin GP

Daniel Ricciardo was recently awarded the title of Kentucky Colonel by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The Australian is now officially being honored with the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that come with it. The certificate has been signed by Governor Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams.

It is no secret that Ricciardo is extremely popular in the United States. He too loves America and its culture. Prior to the 2023 F1 US GP next week, the AlphaTauri also took part in Red Bull's promotional show run in Nashville, where he drove the RB7 and performed some donuts.

After the show run, Ricciardo was given the honor of Kentucky Colonel with a certificate. While he was still in his Red Bull suit, the Aussie took a picture with the certificate. It was clear from his semi-hidden expression that he was beaming through the helmet.

Daniel Ricciardo will soon be replacing interim AlphaTauri driver Liam Lawson to take his seat back in the 2023 F1 US GP. He had to take a long break from the sport soon after his return due to a severe arm injury at the 2023 F1 Dutch GP.

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F1 pundit feels Daniel Ricciardo missed an opportunity to replace Sergio Perez in Red Bull for 2024

F1 pundit and presenter Natalie Pinkham recently spoke about how Daniel Ricciardo missed a major opportunity to replace ailing Sergio Perez in Red Bull for 2024.

This was mainly because Ricciardo had a crash in the 2023 F1 Dutch GP, which put a stop to his positive momentum in returning to F1 and proving to Red Bull that he still has what it takes to drive for them.

"Four Red Bull drivers on the grid, one isn’t performing as well as he should at the moment and that’s Sergio Perez. So I’m thinking, in the corridors of power in Salzburg, actually, should Daniel Ricciardo step up to the big team, to Red Bull Racing, for 2024 leaving Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri?" Pinkham said on the F1 Nation podcast.

"I think had Daniel not had that really unfortunate crash and had he come in and put in really solid performances for AlphaTauri, then that’s what would be happening," she said.

Ricciardo has now missed five races since his return to the grid. In his stead, Liam Lawson has been driving for AlphaTauri and is performing brilliantly, especially considering his experience in Formula 1.