Ricciardo enjoys 'inspiring' meeting with ambitious teenage star

Daniel Ricciardo could have spent the Formula 1 season with his feet up enjoying the Australian summer, but instead he has sought to meet one of the country's aspiring teenagers.

Ricciardo has enjoyed a positive turnaround in fortunes overall in 2023, having started the season on the fringes of the F1 grid after being effectively sacked by McLaren at the end of 2022.

Having struggled to get to grips with the car from the Woking outfit, he returned to Red Bull as their reserve driver in 2023 before replacing Nyck de Vries halfway through the season at AlphaTauri, impressing enough to be signed on for 2024 too - despite having to miss part of the season with a broken hand.

But now the 34-year-old has spent time looking out for the stars of tomorrow in his role as 'Chief of Optimism' at Optus.

The Australian telecommunications company have launched a 'Donate your data' campaign to help people who do not have enough access to the internet, and Ricciardo was on hand to meet one of its beneficiaries.

Ricciardo and his inspired meeting

On social media, Ricciardo shared the story of a teenager alongside pictures of the pair together.

He said: Last week I had the pleasure of meeting this inspiring Aussie teenager, Iesha.

"Having limited access to internet as a young teenager, Iesha became part of Optus’ Donate Your Data program. With the support of free data donated from Optus customers, in partnership with The Smith Family, she has been able to complete her secondary schooling and pursue her dreams of studying law at university, with the ambition of building a career around helping others.

"I enjoyed our time spent together and wish her every success from here! #optimism #donateyourdata."

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