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The shoeys. The jokes. The tattoos. The notorious, exaggerated “Pierreee Gaslyyyyyy!!!” and Nico Hülkenberg shouts.
Daniel Ricciardo isn’t a world champion or among the many Components One all-time greats primarily based on his outcomes — eight wins, three pole positions and 32 podium finishes over 13 seasons. However within the sport’s fashionable period, the Australian driver cemented himself as a one-of-a-kind icon by carrying his coronary heart on his sleeve. The authenticity and humanity Ricciardo introduced through the years drew in followers, new and previous.
The Ricciardo glimpses over six seasons of Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ docuseries is identical driver media noticed within the paddock. However beneath the floor is a fierce competitor. His peak got here throughout his Pink Bull days, from 2014-2018, and his final time on the rostrum occurred in 2021 when he received the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren’s first F1 win since 2012.
“For anybody who thought I left, I by no means left,” he stated over the group radio that day. “Simply moved apart for some time.”
However he additionally skilled two hiatuses, one when he departed McLaren in 2022 and once more in 2023 as he recovered from surgical procedure whereas competing for AlphaTauri (now generally known as RB). His velocity is obvious, however Ricciardo lacked consistency in 2024. Questions arose whether or not Ricciardo may make a comeback to the senior group — a aim that by no means got here to fruition.
“This 12 months, the aim was to attempt to do adequate to get again into Pink Bull and battle for wins once more, see if I’ve nonetheless bought it,” Ricciardo stated in Singapore. “I felt like I got here up brief with that, so I believe it’s then, ‘OK, what else am I combating for right here? What else goes to provide me achievement?’”
RB introduced final week that Liam Lawson would exchange Ricciardo for the rest of the 2024 season. The seemingly awkward exit for Ricciardo led to mass criticism from followers on social media, given Ricciardo’s widespread reputation and a legacy greater than simply statistics and distinctive within the sport’s historical past.
Ricciardo recorded eight wins in 14 seasons on the grid. (Charles Coates/Getty Pictures)
Ricciardo’s F1 profession began equally to the way it ended.
The Australian joined the grid with HRT partway via the 2011 season, changing Narain Karthikeyan. The group hadn’t scored within the first eight races of the 12 months and opted handy the reins to the Pink Bull Academy driver. Throughout Ricciardo’s first season, he typically was close to the again of the grid; nevertheless, he typically out-qualified and completed forward of teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi, one in every of Pink Bull’s first F1 drivers.
Pink Bull promoted Ricciardo the next 12 months to Toro Rosso, its sister group now generally known as RB. The Australian scored his first factors in 2012 and continued to enhance, ending behind teammate Jean-Eric Vergne in 2012 however forward in 2013. It was sufficient for Pink Bull to name Ricciardo as much as the senior group when Mark Webber left F1 on the finish of the 2013 marketing campaign.
The Pink Bull chapter (from 2014-2018) grew to become Ricciardo’s glory years. The 2014 season was the daybreak of a brand new hybrid engine period for F1, and he thrived over the following 4 seasons, exhibiting flashes of F1 world champion potential. It was simple to imagine he could be Pink Bull’s No. 2 to teammate Sebastian Vettel, who was a four-time world champion by that time. However whereas Mercedes’ duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg dominated, they have been defeated thrice in 2014 — by Ricciardo every time.
Montreal was the Australian driver’s first F1 win, passing Rosberg with two laps to go. The opposite wins in 2014 got here in Hungary (with spectacular overtakes on Hamilton and Fernando Alonso) and Belgium (bear in mind Hamilton and Rosberg’s collision?). By season’s finish, he completed third within the driver standings and 71 factors forward of Vettel.
Though Pink Bull fell to the midfield in 2015, Ricciardo managed to safe just a few podium finishes. When Max Verstappen joined part-way via 2016, Ricciardo’s greatest battle grew to become his rising teammate. When the 2 went wheel-to-wheel in Malaysia, Ricciardo got here out victorious. As Verstappen grew, the pair battled, memorably crashing out on the 2018 Azerbaijan GP.
Come 2019, Ricciardo left Pink Bull for Renault, a call many have questioned as Pink Bull grew to become a powerhouse. The 2-year stint solely led to a couple podium finishes earlier than he moved to McLaren. His time with the Woking-based group, although, ended a 12 months earlier than his contract was set to run out (McLaren signed Oscar Piastri for 2023 as a substitute). Pink Bull swooped in to maintain Ricciardo across the sport as its “third driver.”
The win at Monaco was the top of Ricciardo’s F1 peak. (Dan Istitene/Getty Pictures)
“I didn’t acknowledge the Daniel (he was) on the finish of his tenure at McLaren,” Pink Bull group principal Christian Horner stated on the F1 Nation podcast. “I stated to him, ‘Why don’t you come and be part of us, rediscover your ardour on your sport?’” Horner added Ricciardo had “picked up some actually dangerous habits” throughout his time at McLaren. “And little by little, working along with his previous engineering group, he began to seek out his kind once more.”
Ricciardo’s starvation got here again. When Nyck de Vries bought lower from AlphaTauri, the Australian was tapped because the substitute. Ricciardo later missed 5 races that season after injuring his hand, and Lawson served because the substitute, making a giant impression.
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How Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 hiatus ready him to make an harm comeback
However on the senior group, Sergio Pérez struggled in late 2023. Ricciardo basically was the Milton Keynes-based group’s security web and publicly desired a return to Pink Bull. Throughout the 2024 marketing campaign, Ricciardo’s kind lacked consistency. Nonetheless, Pérez’s struggles reemerged, which led to many questioning forward of summer time break whether or not a return to Pink Bull could be potential for the Australian.
“I might have cherished to see him use it as a springboard to get again to the place he was, to have accomplished the story. However it wasn’t to be,” Pink Bull group principal Christian Horner stated on F1 Nation, after information broke of Ricciardo being changed at RB. “Daniel’s trustworthy about that, and he is aware of in his coronary heart he gave it his finest shot. He’s had an important profession, he’s had an important run, however sadly the following chapter wasn’t to be.”
Ricciardo’s profession, throughout its prime, was marked by being the final of the late-brakers — a fearless driver who courted goals of contending for a world championship earlier than they slipped away for numerous causes (like Mercedes’ decade-long domination). However a number of of his wins featured passing masterclasses, like in China 2018 when Ricciardo famously stated, “Typically you simply need to lick the stamp and ship it.”
However one of the vital iconic victories was probably Monaco 2018 — sure, that picture. He nursed mechanical points for 50 laps, and even his race engineer was shocked, saying after the Australian crossed the road, “I don’t understand how you probably did that, Daniel.”
His last race at Singapore behind him, it’s finish of an period for Ricciardo, at the very least on-track.
“He’s a pure entertainer and a showman,” Horner continued, “he will likely be for certain in entrance of the digital camera sooner or later and I’m certain there will likely be a documentary or one thing, that will likely be fascinating.”
“I’m Daniel Ricciardo, and I’m a automobile mechanic.”
His voice is the primary you hear on the pilot episode of ‘Drive to Survive.’ He’s proven as the primary sit-down interview, and he didn’t disappoint, fast to joke on one of many first questions he was requested. With Mercedes and Ferrari not collaborating within the first season, Ricciardo stepped into the highlight and have become a part of why the most recent wave of followers fell in love with F1.
Ricciardo’s star activate ‘Drive To Survive’ made him an in a single day F1 famous person. (Peter Fox/Getty Pictures)
In a sport the place the athletes spend most of their time in vehicles with helmets on, Netflix allowed followers to get nearer to the game’s personalities than ever earlier than. Ricciardo introduced the human component from the get-go whereas decked in his Pink Bull gear throughout Season 1. Because the seasons wore on, a number of moments all through his profession that we recounted grew to become immortalized on Netflix. The Monaco pool stomach flop. Ricciardo’s transfer to Renault. The feelings of the 2021 Italian GP victory with McLaren.
Leaving Pink Bull for Renault noticed his on-track outcomes dip, however his reputation took off as Ricciardo’s profession unfolded. He grew to become a famous person of the Netflix docuseries, a present partially credited with F1’s reputation growth. The game and fandom grew alongside him as crucial strikes in his profession post-Pink Bull have been captured intimately on digital camera. When his time at McLaren was coming to an finish in 2022, Netflix put collectively a section reflecting on his time in F1, exhibiting numerous clips from throughout the years.
Earlier than the montage ran within the finale of season 5, a producer stated off digital camera, “This is likely to be the final time you’re sat on this chair.” Ricciardo replied, “Yeah,” whereas the producer requested, “Considered that?”
Ricciardo sighed.
“I imply, the present wouldn’t be the identical with out me, so… what do you do?”
DANIEL RICCIARDO. Endlessly our Honey Badger. pic.twitter.com/19Rf0P3yHs
— Netflix (@netflix) September 27, 2024
Fan edits started surfacing on social media after the Singapore GP, with posts on totally different platforms honoring the Australian and paired with songs like ‘Pink Skies’ by Zach Bryan (one in every of Ricciardo’s favourite music artists). When information broke that Lawson was changing him, loads of present and former drivers, in addition to a number of groups, shared their ideas in regards to the Australian driver.
“(Daniel), it’s been a honour to compete with you through the years. I’ll always remember the battles, the laughs, and consuming out of your shoe. It was gross, however glad I bought to do it with you bud,” Hamilton posted on Instagram. “You permit a legacy of all the time being your self, which on this sport isn’t simple. You’ve taken all of it with the most important smile and I salute you for it. There’s a lot extra for you up forward and I can’t wait to see what you do subsequent. All the time right here for you, man.”
However Ricciardo grew to become greater than the game, his reputation extending past the confines of the F1 world. He appeared on podcasts and discuss reveals, gracing the couches of Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert’s reveals. He attended the Met Gala for the primary time in 2023, one thing Hamilton has finished 5 instances. He created his merchandise line, Enchanté, and launched a wine assortment. Non-F1 official sports activities accounts even weighed in in regards to the late driver drop, just like the Vegas Golden Knights and the NFL Australia and New Zealand account with the Buffalo Payments.
The departure just isn’t a whole shock, although a swap earlier than the ultimate six races (and three sprints) does increase eyebrows. Ricciardo’s efficiency lacked consistency, and the thought of a Pink Bull comeback began having query marks.
It stays to be seen what Ricciardo’s subsequent transfer will likely be. Curiously, the phrase retirement has but for use publicly, however the sentiment appears to be there.
With F1 behind him, Ricciardo has loads of profession choices forward. (Dan Istitene – Components 1/Components 1 by way of Getty Pictures)
“I’m happy with the profession. I attempted to change into world champion, I attempted to change into the very best at one thing on the earth,” Ricciardo stated in Singapore. “I believe it’s a tall activity that we ask from ourselves. Some obtain it, some don’t. In the long run, if I got here up a bit brief, I can also’t be too onerous on myself.
“Proud of the trouble I put in, and for that, there’s no disappointment or feeling or remorse or what may have been.”
It’s pure to wonder if he’ll have a look at different motorsports collection, like NASCAR or Supercars, to call just a few. Maybe, sooner or later, he’ll attempt his hand at broadcasting like Jenson Button, Jolyon Palmer or David Coulthard. Given the fan response to his departure, many probably hope the 35-year-old will keep all over the world of F1. Horner does.
“We’ve made it very clear that we wish him to stay in an ambassadorial capability with the group, and naturally, one by no means actually is aware of. I imply, if Liam doesn’t get the job finished, if Checo doesn’t get the job finished, we all know what Daniel’s functionality is,” Horner stated on F1 Nation. “However I believe for him, he is aware of, on the age that he’s at, he’s had an important profession. So many recollections.
“Probably the most disgusting factor ever was consuming champagne out of his sweaty boot! However he made it his personal, and he bought some unimaginable folks to drink the champagne from his sweaty shoe.”
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Prime picture: Vince Mignott/MB Media by way of Getty Pictures; Design: Dan Goldfarb/The Athletic
