Ricciardo reveals he’s already got an artist working on tattoo designs for Abiteboul after Eifel GP podium

One storyline that's already had plenty of coverage in 2020 is the tattoo bet between Cyril Abiteboul and Daniel Ricciardo – and now that the Renault driver has scored his first podium with the team, at the Nurburgring, it’s time for the Team Principal to honour his side of the deal…

Earlier this season in Barcelona, Ricciardo revealed that he had made a wager with his boss: if Ricciardo scored Renault's first podium since their return to F1 in 2016, Abiteboul would get a tattoo of Ricciardo's choosing. And the 'honey badger' said he's already got a tattoo artist on the case.

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“I’ve got an artist working on two designs currently, so yeah, we’re getting close,” he said ahead of the Portuguese Grand Prix weekend.

With the Australian leaving Renault for McLaren at the end of the season, it seems there’s only a short window to get Abiteboul under the needle.

“So I’ve got to speak to Cyril to see the logistics,” continued Ricciardo. “Hopefully before Bahrain, the last kind of triple-header, we find a window to get it done. I know I’m in the factory then, so hopefully he might be around too.

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To Ricciardo, the tattoo bet will hopefully be part of a warm farewell from the Enstone/Viry team, for whom he has raced since the start of the 2019 season.

“I definitely want that ‘sad to leave’ feeling, you know… when I announced my move to McLaren, I didn’t want the next six months to be a painful or uncomfortable six months. As you’ve noticed it hasn’t been like that at all; it’s been really good.

“I think both sides have attacked it with a lot of maturity, and, I think as you can see now, a lot of confidence. So the relationship’s been cool. I’ve never seen someone so excited not only [about] the thought of getting a tattoo but now knowing he’s going to get one, it’s actually been fun, and it’s how I wanted it.

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“I want to leave this team with everyone content, happy, satisfied, and feeling like we’ve fulfilled a solid two years.”

Ricciardo will partner Lando Norris at McLaren in 2021 while Fernando Alonso will make a sensational return to F1, taking his place at Renault alongside Esteban Ocon.