Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills receive immense support from F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo posted a message of support towards Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills following the latter's victory over the New England Patriots.


Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills receive immense support from F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (L) | Daniel Ricciardo (R)

During last week’s Monday Night Football game, Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, suffered a cardiac arrest after tackling Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver, Tee Higgins. The 24-year-old was first given emergency aid, before being transported to the hospital, where he was reported to be in critical condition. The whole NFL and sporting world came out in support of Hamlin. Thankfully, since then, his situation has improved considerably.

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A few days after the horrifying ordeal, he was able to communicate by writing on a pad, which he used to ask ‘Did we win?’. By January 6, he no longer required a breathing tube, and he was able to speak. He even briefly connected by video call to a team meeting. Last Saturday, he made his first social media post since the cardiac arrest. Hamlin has since posted numerous times in support of his team, particularly for their match-up against the New England Patriots.

The match took place on the 8th of January, and the Bills came out on top 35-23. They will now face the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card Round. After the end of the game, Daniel Ricciardo, who will serve as Red Bull’s third driver in 2023, came out to post in support of the Bills and Hamlin. He posted a picture of him wearing their jersey on his Instagram story, captioned: “Great game. Love for Damar.”

Earlier, Ricciardo had also come out in support of Hamlin after the latter’s cardiac arrest. In reply to a tweet by the Buffalo Bills, Ricciardo wrote: “All the love and prayers.” The Australian also retweeted Hamlin’s aforementioned first social media post since that night. Even his last post was about the Bills, where he quote-tweeted and wrote ‘Wild.” in response to the team’s 32-29 victory over the Dolphins, back in December.

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Read More: Jessica Pegula acknowledges Buffalo Bills athletic trainer Denny Kellington’s contribution in saving Damar Hamlin’s life

How did Daniel Ricciardo come to support the Buffalo Bills?

Daniel Ricciardo (L) with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (R)
Daniel Ricciardo (L) with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (R)

Daniel Ricciardo clearly has a keen interest in American Football. Before his love affair with the Buffalo Bills began, he supported a college athletics team as well, the ‘Texas Longhorns’. In fact, he even wore a Longhorns-themed race helmet and boots at the 2019 US GP. In 2021, he went for a cowboy theme for his outfit, which included a Longhorns basketball jersey.

The first NFL game that the ‘Honey Badger’ watched was the SuperBowl LIV in February 2020. AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the NFC champions, San Francisco 49ers, 31-20. Back in November, he attended his first Bills’ game, before which he answered questions from the team’s players. Quarterback Josh Allen asked him why he chose to become a member of the ‘Bills Mafia’, to which Ricciardo said: “That’s a great question, Josh, and actually, it’s thanks to you. You are the reason, you beautiful man.”

The pair of them met at the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix and quickly became friends. During an interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith, Allen said: “We were talking, he’s [Ricciardo’s] like, ‘Yeah, we’re Buffalo Bills fans.’ and they had jerseys and I thought that was the weirdest thing.” Explaining this meeting, the ‘Honey Badger’ said: “My performance coach, Michael, actually had a Bills’ jersey. When we met Josh, we were like ‘All right, sold’.

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Not only that, but Ricciardo also said that the ‘Bills Mafia’ reminded him of his own friends from back home, even adding that he thinks some of them would ‘fit right into’ the Bills Mafia. As you may know, the Australian is not going to be on the F1 grid next season, and will not be attending all Grands Prix in his reserve role either. That means you can expect to find him at more Bills’ games.

Also Read: Damar Hamlin’s 3-Word Message For Josh Allen Goes Viral

Also Read: ‘He is leaving when he is kicked out,’ Mika Hakkinen thinks Daniel Ricciardo’s chances to return to F1 are low