Daniel Ricciardo may be from Australia, but the now ex-Formula 1 driver has adopted the United States as his second, spiritual home – and without his presence on the grid, the upcoming Grand Prix in Austin, Texas may not feel the same.

But we may still see a Ricciardo in a cowboy hat swinging around the paddock at the United States Grand Prix, with race promoter Bobby Epstein promising to ‘keep him busy’ with plenty of fun off the track.

American Grand Prix promoter: “Daniel Ricciardo may have just as big an impact from the car as in it”

In the run-up to the Singapore Grand Prix in September, it slowly became clear that Daniel Ricciardo’s seat at VCARB was under threat.

The Australian had not performed and Helmut Marko began to suggest that VCARB shareholders were keen to see the team return to its former status as a junior team training young drivers for Red Bull Racing.

After a miracle weekend in Singapore failed to materialise, VCARB announced that Ricciardo would be replaced by Liam Lawson with immediate effect.

That was bad news indeed for American Grand Prix promoter Bobby Epstein. Over the years, Daniel Ricciardo has fully embraced the spirit of Texas, appearing at Circuit of The Americas wearing cowboy boots, ten-gallon hats and, most memorably, a whole horse.

But if Ricciardo still wants to make the trek to Austin, Texas, American Grand Prix promoter Bobby Epstein would love to have him.

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“Daniel, he might have as big an impact from the car as he did in our Grand Prix,” Epstein said. RACER.

“I’m not sure people will necessarily buy tickets to come see him race if he’s not in a competitive car, right? So if you come because he is part of the F1 community, I think he can still be part of the F1 community in quite a meaningful way.”

With Red Bull keen to retain the services of Daniel Ricciardo as their ambassador, there is still a distinct possibility that the Australian will be signed to Texas anyway. However, with the US Grand Prix being the first F1 event to take place after being dropped in Singapore, the wounds may still be too fresh.

Still, Bobby Epstein hopes Danny Ric arrives in Austin in a hat and boots, ready to mingle.

“He’s really, really well-liked in Texas, and I think he likes it here,” Epstein added.

“And so I hope he makes himself more available to the fans than he otherwise would be if he had a commitment in the car.

“I hope he still comes here because we have a lot of people who would like to shake his hand, get his autograph or take a photo. Just see him in town.

“We keep him busy.”

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