Daniel Ricciardo reveals battle with Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds

Australia F1 star Daniel Ricciardo has revealed he has a surprising rivalry with Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds.

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed he has set himself an “ambitious” goal to try and chase down Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds, fuelling a surprising rivalry.

The Formula One driver has built up a large following on social media that he is hoping to continue to grow so he can challenge the famous actor.

Ricciardo regularly posts to social media platform LinkedIn with career advice and insights and he has revealed he is in a battle with Reynolds to see who can get the most followers.

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“Certainly an area where we can probably compete well (is) in the looks department,’ Ricciardo joked in an interview with LinkedIn, speaking in his capacity as Optus’ Chief of Optimism.

“Globally, his reach is still a little bit higher, so it is an ambitious target.”

Ricciardo currently has 158,000 followers on LinkedIn, less than half of Reynolds’ 331,000 subscribers.

The McLaren driver also spoke about the importance of keeping a positive outlook that helps him succeed behind the wheel.

“I know I perform well or do well when I’m just having fun,” he said.

“There’s always going to be pressure and a little bit of intensity around, but if you can lighten the load and just enjoy that kind of process, I just find it’s not only a more fun environment to be in but I think it’s easier to have success in that kind of setting.

Daniel Ricciardo is after those LinkedIn followers. Photo: Aaron Francis / Herald Sun

Ryan Reynolds will be a tough man to chase down. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

“If I feel the pressures starting to weigh on me and I’m putting too much emphasis on it and therefore weighing myself down I’ll turn around and say ‘Actually this is a chance for me to go and show off what I’ve got’.”

Ricciardo also opened up on how he deals with being in a leadership role within F1 teams and using his influence for good.

Last year he revealed some of his colleagues at Renault were too intimidated to speak to him after he moved to the French team from Red Bull.

“It’s a bit daunting to think but you have a real presence and power in the room or in the situation,” he said.

“Your actions and even your emotions can spread all through that room. How you carry yourself and that’s why I try to be glass half full and bring a room up.

“It’s easy when things are going well because everyone’s up but through more testing times, they will look to the leader — in some cases it’s me — and I have to be that example.”

Ricciardo has moved teams twice in recent years — from Red Bull to Renault and from Renault from McLaren — and he said he’s had to accept the shift won’t always go smoothly.

His departure from Red Bull raised eyebrows around the F1 world and many pundits believed he was taking a step backwards.

Daniel Ricciardo has plenty of wisdom from his eventful F1 career. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

“I think be accepting of it all and also accept that there will likely be a process,” he said.

“You’re not just going to fall into a place in a day and everything is going to be peachy.

“Just go through it all and I think be very open minded. Be willing to learn and grow.

“I think that is why a lot of people move around and change jobs because they want to grow and they want to push themselves that step further.

“It’s probably also just not putting too much kind of expectation on it. It might take a month, it might take a year but just know that it’s going to be a process.

“Take it step by step each day, be open minded, be willing to learn from others.

“Through anyone’s life career, you’re going to have ups and downs, good days and not so. I think just always trying to remain optimistic about a situation helps so much (to) get through it.”

Ricciardo is currently 11th in the F1 drivers championship after four races. The season resumes at the Miami Grand Prix on Monday 9 May (AEST).

Originally published as Daniel Ricciardo reveals battle with Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds