Written by Alejandra Guajardo, Edited by Tarun Suresh
At the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo walked out of the paddock as an F1 driver for the last time. He was recently replaced by Liam Lawson, who had won his spot in the pinnacle of motorsports back in 2023 and finally made it official. Even though Ricciardo knew he wasn’t coming back, he still had the brightest smile on the paddock as always.
He left with no regrets, only memories.
A star is born
The year is 2014. Daniel Ricciardo is in Red Bull, and his teammate is the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. The Australian driver had just pitted at the Canadian Grand Prix and hoped to get out ahead of his teammate. Luckily, he came out of the pit lane just ahead of the German champion.
He makes a bold move on Sergio Perez’s Force India, touching the grass and almost getting hit but makes it, going for every gap like a true racing driver. Ricciardo then gets to Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes, the fastest car on the track but he makes it seem easy as he overtakes him and leads the race.
Daniel Ricciardo had just won his first race in Formula 1. A new race winner and a new star is born.
2014 also saw a masterclass drive from Ricciardo in Hungary. His bold moves had every spectator on the edge of their seats. The mechanics cheered as he overtook the seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, who couldn’t hold back the fierce honey badger.
He chased Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and managed to do an overtake down the inside. He had just taken his second win of the season.
Belgium saw Daniel on the top step of the podium too. 2014 was a glorious year for the Australian. He outperformed his teammate, placing himself third in the driver standings just behind the Mercedes drivers.
The fight from the back
It’s the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix, and Daniel Ricciardo finds himself 10th on the starting grid. But the Aussie starts an overtaking frenzy and fights from the back. He makes a masterclass double overtake on Carlos Sainz and Marcus Ericsson.
He then gets in a nerve-wracking five-car fight where he makes an amazing move and gains four places in the process. You could hear it in Crofty’s voice that Ricciardo was showcasing a masterclass drive and giving the spectators pure Formula 1 adrenaline.
The honey badger had once again managed his way to the top step, a place that suited him. He took the victory and celebrated with his classic shoey and the brightest smile of Formula 1. The look on his face was of pure happiness and victory.
There’s no stopping him
China 2018 is often considered one of Daniel Ricciardo’s best races. His wheel-to-wheel fight with Kimi Raikkonen and his late braking took everyone’s breath away. But that wasn’t all from the fierce honey badger; he chased down Lewis Hamilton and overtook him like it was a piece of cake. There was just no stopping him. He was sensational, a true racing driver who drove with his heart.
He then got the slipstream on Vettel, his ex-teammate, who he overtook to gain the lead in the race. Finally, he just had to overtake Valtteri Bottas, which he did, but not without giving a show. That day, Ricciardo earned his spot at the top step and in the hearts and memories of many.
Redemption day
China 2018 couldn’t be Daniel Ricciardo’s best race when Monaco 2018 exists. Back in 2016, the Aussie left Monaco with a bitter taste after missing out on the win due to a disastrous pit stop.
Now, Ricciardo had the perfect qualifying day. He placed himself on pole with a history-worthy lap at the Monaco circuit. He had half the job done as the driver himself said.
Sunday arrived, and the honey badger got into the cockpit with redemption on his mind. He quickly extended the gap with Vettel and maintained it.
But on lap 28, Ricciardo reported a loss of power to his team which made Vettel close the gap to him. In front of thousands, the Aussie fought until the end and claimed his reward.
It was redemption day for Ricciardo at Monte Carlo. He was now leaving with the taste of sweet, sweet victory.
One last time
2021, Daniel’s first year at McLaren. The Australian hadn’t adapted to the car and was getting outperformed by his young teammate, Lando Norris. When hope seemed to be lost, a glimpse of the old Ricciardo sparked, bringing a warming feeling to the hearts of many.
Monza saw the title contenders, Max Verstappen and Hamilton crash into each other, a controversial moment but a huge advantage for Ricciardo who happened to be in the right place at the right time. He managed to hold onto the lead and crossed the checkered flag in first place.
That day, Monza saw the honey badger on the top step and the spectators smiled alongside the Australian. What they and no one knew was that it would be the last time the brightest smile of Formula 1 was going to be seen holding a first-place trophy.
But let’s not cry because it’s over, let’s smile because it happened and because it’s what Ricciardo would want us to do. Everyone enjoyed the butterflies.
The ones that were felt when he would make a bold overtake, when he would do a shoey, or when he would simply score points. Daniel Ricciardo surely enjoyed the butterflies of making a name for himself in the pinnacle of motorsport.
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