F1 Red Bull driver, Daniel Ricciardo has joined the elite club of F1 greats when he became the 21st recipient of the Trofeo Bandini.
Named after the legendary Ferrari F1 driver, Lorenzo Bandini, whose childhood home was Brisighella, the prize is awarded each year to the racing driver who has most impressed the judging panel over the previous 12 months.
Daniel had won 3 grands prix this year with Infiniti Red Bull Racing and as the only driver to break Mercedes’ grip on the top step of the podium this season, Daniel’s performances were enough to convince the judges that his name should be the next to feature on the trophy beside well-known F1 drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Robert Kubica, Fernando Alonso, Jacques Villeneuve, David Coulthard and Michael Schumacher.
“I was quite overwhelmed with the reception I received at the event. The Italians really love their motorsport,” said Dan of the event. “To be awarded with the Lorenzo Bandini trophy was an honour, and to join the many great drivers on that list makes me proud.”
The ceremony itself was a suitably grand occasion. On Sunday, Daniel was driven from his hotel to the main square where he was greeted by hordes of F1 fans and also by a band of drummers and trumpeters dressed in full medieval costume as well as knights in full chain mail and armour.
Before accepting the award, Daniel took time out to greet his fans and sign autographs. Daniel’s Italian heritage also came into play, and though a fair proportion of the fans who thronged the main square of the village were dressed in Ferrari red, they greeted Australian-Italian Daniel like a long, lost son.
There was an even greater sense of “homecoming” when later Daniel was introduced to Ridolfo Basilio, the mayor of Ficarra, the tiny commune in Sicily from which Dan’s grandparents and his dad Joe emigrated. Basilio presented him with a medal of the town and a parcel of cakes baked especially for the Belgian GP winner. Dan also later hooked up with members of the “Fan Club Ricciardo” from the Sicilian town who had travelled overnight by coach to meet their hero. Naturally, the F1 driver was introduced to a host of long-lost relatives.
Daniel received the prestigious trophy from Brisighella’s mayor David Missiroli, with 80-year-old Gabriella Bandini, sister of the legendary Italian racer in attendance (picture above). The presentation was followed by a fireworks display, and then Daniel and the other dignitaries where whisked off to the village’s Parco Ugonia where some 270 guests enjoyed a dinner beside the beautifully lit fountain.
