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A story of how Daniel Ricciardo solidified himself as a fan favourite in Formula One
Daniel Ricciardo is an incredibly well respected driver in Formula One. An eight time race winner who has been on the podium over 30 times. Below is the story of how he made his career.
Daniel Ricciardo’s first major motorsport series win came in the Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup. The Australian was one of the last winners for the competition, which folded in 2010. He won eight times in the campaign, finishing with 11 podium finishes.
He also raced in the Formula Renault Eurocup this year but only finished second overall. Ricciardo was bested by a young Valtteri Bottas, who edged the championship win by just three points. An impressive six wins for the Australian allowed him to move up to Formula 3 in 2009.
Daniel Ricciardo’s one and only season in Formula Three was dominant. Racing for Carlin Motorsport, he was crowned as champion after a comfortable year of racing. There were 87 points between the champion and second place after 20 races.
The ‘Honey Badger’ won six races overall, over a quarter of the total drives. He also gained another six podiums – a truly brilliant season for Daniel Ricciardo.
After showing undeniable talent in Formula 3, he moved up into the Formula Renault 3.5 series. Signing for the Tech 1 team, with teammate Brendon Hartley, Ricciardo showed what he was made of. He ended the season in second place, missing out on the championship by just two points. Another close finish.
He managed to win four races in the series, on top of an extra four podiums. There was clear potential shown from the Honey Badger who established himself as a reserve driver in Formula One – for Scuderia Toro Rosso.
Around midway through the 2011 Formula One season, Daniel Ricciardo was given the opportunity to drive for a F1 team. He was contracted out to Hispania Racing, from Red Bull, for the remainder of the season. While at the team, he managed a highest finish of 18th.
His efforts for the HRT Formula One team showed Red Bull that he has what it takes for Formula One, as he was soon moved to Toro Rosso.
Alongside former teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne, it was announced that Ricciardo would race for Toro Rosso for the entire season. He once again showed promise, after earning points on his home debut in the Australian grand prix.
He overtook his teammate in the final laps to earn his first two championship points. The Australian ended the season in 18th place, after earning 10 points in total. His best performance was shown when he impressively qualified in sixth place in the Bahrain grand prix.
This season was a clear improvement from Ricciardo. He managed to double last year’s points tally, with 20. This allowed him to finish 14th in the driver standings. His most impressive races from the season involved two seventh place finishes in China and Italy.
Ricciardo’s dominance over his teammate, out qualifying him by 30-7 over the two seasons, earnt the Australian a promotion to Red Bull.
Red Bull decided to replace compatriot Mark Webber with the young Ricciardo who went on to have a stellar season. Alongside his new teammate, the four-time world champion – Sebastian Vettel, Ricciardo went on to finish third in the championship.
His first race of the season saw the Australian qualify in second place, a superb performance in his home grand prix. He went on to secure three race wins in Canada, Hungary, and Belgium – becoming the fourth Australian to win an F1 race. Some regard this as Ricciardo’s best season in Formula One, which certainly saw him burst onto the stage.
With a slower Red Bull, Ricciardo managed to finish eighth in the world championship with 92 points. Even with a struggling car, he still finished with two podiums and recorded three fastest laps. As the new number one driver, he out-qualified his teammate on 14 occasions.
However, his success was not just in Formula One. Ricciardo also broke the record for the fastest lap in Top Gear’s ‘reasonably priced car’ challenge, defeating Lewis Hamilton.
Ricciardo had another great season with Red Bull this year. Consistent and dynamic, as he earned eight podiums over the campaign. Topped off by a win in Malaysia, he went on to finish third in the standings with 256 points.
A famous heartbreaking podium in Monaco stopped the Australian winning another race. Another famous incident occurred this season with his new celebration invention – a ‘shoey’ from the Hockenheim GP. Ricciardo solidified himself as a quality driver this season, being the only one to finish every race.
A frustrating, yet successful season. Another eight podiums finishes and even another race win, a wacky Azerbaijan grand prix. It was a good season on paper, as he finished fifth in the standings overall. However, it could have been even better.
Ricciardo’s season was plagued with reliability problems as he failed to finish a race on six occasions, three of them being in the final four races. This saw the start of his Red Bull downfall.
It was another frustrating season for the Australian. Eight DNF’s cursed the driver to sixth place in the standings. Despite this, he still won on two occasions – one at his beloved Monaco and the other at the Chinese grand prix.
Who can forget the incident between Ricciardo and Max Verstappen at Baku? It was the last straw for him, as he announced that he had signed a contract with Renault’s F1 team for the 2019 and 2020 season.
His first season at Renault was a struggle. There were several races where he finished outside the points, and he had another five DNF’s. Despite the car’s lack of pace, he still commanded a fourth-place finish in Monza. An impressive race for the Honey Badger.
He ended the season in ninth place, with 54 points, 17 points ahead of his new teammate – Nico Hulkenberg.
Yet again, Ricciardo had an impressive season. Considering the car, a fifth-place finish in the driver standings is superb. On top of that, he recorded two podium finishes at the Nürburgring track and Imola. Renault’s first podium finishes in over nine years.
But he wanted more. After a whirlwind of a season, with Covid impacting every step, there were many seats up for grabs. None more appealing than the McLaren drive, vacated by Carlos Sainz.
He was now a McLaren man, with his new good friend and teammate – Lando Norris. Ricciardo’s first season was steady and slightly dormant. He was outshined by his teammate for most of the season, apart from a tactically brilliant victory in Monza – his eighth and last win.
His first season in McLaren ended with the driver in eighth place, thanks to a consistent 20/21 race finishes. Despite this, there were still doubts over the Australian’s ability for the team.
Ricciardo has had a rocky start to the 2022 season. While McLaren undeniably has a worser car compared to last year, he has still struggled. Outshined by his teammate once again, it may be the end of the road for the Australian.
Oscar Piastri has been rumoured to join McLaren next season, among others, which puts Ricciardo’s future in doubt. However, he has made it clear to the team that he will not terminate his contract, and he is indeed contracted for the 2023 campaign.
There are several options for the 33-year-old, should he wish to stay in motorsport, with the likes of Formula E and even another Formula One team. His CV in F1 is certainly strong enough to persuade teams of his talent, and his character is clearly loved by all fans.
Only time will tell what happens with Daniel Ricciardo.
Feature Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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Rewatched Spa 1998 earlier – STILL a crazy race to watch!! A thread of some of the best photos we can find #F1 #BelgiumGP
One of our team is in… let’s see what it’s all about… 👀 💜💛
#LH44 #TeamLH #plus44world #F1 #BelgiumGP
FormulaNerds 🤓🏁 Follow 11,983 5,793
Rewatched Spa 1998 earlier – STILL a crazy race to watch!! A thread of some of the best photos we can find #F1 #BelgiumGP
One of our team is in… let’s see what it’s all about… 👀 💜💛
#LH44 #TeamLH #plus44world #F1 #BelgiumGP
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