Daniel Ricciardo, the Aussie known for his daring overtakes and trademark “shoey” celebration, has been a fan favorite in Formula 1 for over a decade. However, he’s currently hovering in career limbo.
Born in Perth, Australia in 1989, Ricciardo caught the racing bug early. He started karting at age 9 and quickly demonstrated his natural talent, winning numerous junior titles. His big break came in 2008 when he was signed as a member of the Red Bull Junior Team. This opened doors to compete in Formula Renault and British Formula 3, where he honed his race craft.
Ricciardo made his Formula 1 debut in 2011 with the HRT team mid-season before moving to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri), Red Bull Racing’s sister team, where he raced for two full seasons. His performance at Toro Rosso was strong enough to earn him a promotion to Red Bull Racing in 2014, replacing fellow Australian Mark Webber. The turning point came at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix – Ricciardo overtook Sergio Perez on the penultimate lap to claim his maiden F1 victory.
The Honey Badger had arrived!
As a full-time Red Bull driver from 2014-2018, Ricciardo established himself as one of the grid’s elite. He claimed 7 victories, none more impressive than his 2018 Monaco win where he managed an engine issue for over 60 laps while keeping a charging Sebastian Vettel at bay. Ricciardo’s overtaking prowess earned him the nickname “The Last of the Late Brakers” – he seemed to have a sixth sense for making daring lunges stick. Over the next few years, he added several more wins to his name, during which he would drink champagne from his racing boot on the podium.
However, Ricciardo shocked the F1 world in 2018 by announcing his departure from Red Bull to join Renault. The French manufacturer was still in its development phase, but Ricciardo was enticed by the prospect of leading a team. While he managed to claim Renault’s first podiums in nearly a decade, the partnership never quite hit the heights both parties hoped for and his first two seasons with Renault were largely disappointing.
Ricciardo’s first season with Renault was challenging. In the 2019 season, he finished 9th in the Drivers’ Championship with 54 points. The team finished 5th in the Constructors’ Championship, which was below their expectation to be the “best of the rest” after the top teams. The following year saw improvement, with Ricciardo finishing 5th in the Drivers’ Championship with 119 points, and securing two podium finishes, which were Renault’s first since their return as a constructor. The team again finished 5th in the Constructors’ standings, but this time tied on points with 3rd place but lost out on countback of results.
In 2021, Ricciardo made another bold move, joining McLaren alongside young gun Lando Norris. The partnership got off to a promising start, with Ricciardo claiming a stunning victory at the Italian Grand Prix, ending McLaren’s nine-year winless drought. But as the season wore on, it became clear that Ricciardo was struggling to adapt to the McLaren car, he was consistently outperformed by younger teammate Lando Norris, and failed to adapt to the tricky McLaren chassis. The writing was on the wall and McLaren terminated his contract early at the end of 2022.
In 2023, Ricciardo returned to his roots at Red Bull, taking up a reserve driver role to support former teammate Max Verstappen’s title defense. Many hoped this would be the launchpad for a full-time comeback in 2024, but it wasn’t to be. With F2 champion Liam Lawson waiting in the wings, Red Bull opted for youth over experience. So where does that leave Daniel in 2024? Speaking candidly in a recent interview, the 35-year-old admitted he has likely contested his final F1 race.
Ricciardo acknowledged the sport has evolved rapidly with a new generation of simulator-honed young guns making it harder for the old guard to keep pace. But whatever the future holds for Daniel Ricciardo, there is no denying that, at his best, Ricciardo was one of the most thrilling and talented drivers of his generation.
Published: Sep 26, 2024 03:39 am