Daniel Joseph Ricciardo[2] was born on 1 July 1989 in Perth, Western Australia, to Italian-Australian parents.[3] His father, Giuseppe "Joe" Ricciardo, was born in Ficarra (Messina), but relocated to Australia with his family at age seven.[4] Ricciardo's mother, Grace Pulitanò was born in Australia, but had parents originally from Casignana (Calabria).[5][6][7][8] Ricciardo also has a sister; Michelle.[9] Growing up in Duncraig, Ricciardo's earliest memories of motorsports were of his father racing at the nearby Barbagallo Raceway in Wanneroo.[10] Raised Catholic, he attended high school at Newman College.[11][12] He started karting at the age of 9.[13]
Early career
Ricciardo in October 2009
Karting, Formula Ford and Formula BMW
Ricciardo started karting at the age of nine as a member of the Tiger Kart Club (TKC) and entered numerous karting events. In 2005, he entered the Western Australian Formula Ford championship driving a 15-year-old Van Diemen, finishing eighth by season's end.[14]
Towards the end of the 2005 season, Ricciardo took a leased 13-year-old Van Diemen across to Sandown Raceway in Melbourne to compete at the national Formula Ford series, but his aging car was uncompetitive, and he finished 16th, 17th and retired during the weekend's three races.[15]
That year, Ricciardo was more successful in karts, in which he was crowned the Australian champion. His prizes for the win included a pass to the 2006 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne, where the then-16-year-old savoured a taste of his own future by chatting unnoticed with Italian driver Jarno Trulli and Miss Universe 2004, Jennifer Hawkins.[16]
During the mid-part of the 2008 season, Ricciardo made his Formula Three debut at the Nürburgring, joining SG Formula's Formula 3 Euro Series team. Despite only a short amount of experience in the car, Ricciardo qualified in eighth for the first race, which later converted into sixth in the race after James Jakes and Christian Vietoris stalled on the grid. But he struggled in the reverse-grid race, finishing just fifteenth.[18]
Following a minor incident during a mountain bike exercise, Ricciardo was forced to miss the second test of the 2010 season but went on to take pole position for both races at the season-opening round of the 2010 season in Alcañiz, Spain. He finished third and second in the races respectively, to leave himself at the head of the championship standings. Two weeks later, at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Ricciardo was relegated to last on the grid after being deemed to have hindered the laps of other drivers. In the next two races, he finished 13th and fifth respectively – coming 2nd in the latter, until many of the front-runners were given penalties for infringing the parc ferme rules before the race. One week later, in Monte Carlo, Ricciardo secured his third pole position of the season, finishing three-tenths of a second ahead of championship rival Stefano Coletti. He secured his first win at the following race, one place ahead of Coletti. Ricciardo went on to secure two more wins at the Hungaroring and at the Hockenheimring in commanding fashion. Following Ricciardo's sixth pole from 12 races, Tech 1 team boss, Simon Abadie, praised his driver's efforts greatly, saying, "I am happy, and happy for Daniel because six poles in 12 races is good going," and later stated his team's ambitions for success, by telling Autosport correspondent Peter Mills, "I really hopes Daniel wins the championship."[22]
At the first race at the Silverstone circuit, Ricciardo was involved in a spectacular incident with pole-sitter Jon Lancaster, in which Ricciardo was sent into a barrel roll, eventually landing on his wheels. The crash saw the end of his race, with teammate Jean-Éric Vergne becoming the eventual winner, following disqualifications. Securing pole for the second race of the weekend, Ricciardo spent much of the race leading the pack by upwards of three seconds. However, braking issues in the second half of the event meant that, on the final lap, championship-rival Esteban Guerrieri was able to pass the Tech 1 racer.[23]
Going into the final round of the season, Ricciardo sat just three points behind championship leader Mikhail Aleshin and 13 ahead of third-place man Esteban Guerrieri. Managing his 8th pole of the season,[24] Ricciardo managed a lights-to-flag victory, setting the fastest lap and placing himself equal first with one race remaining.[25] After securing second place on the grid for the second race of the weekend, Ricciardo managed to hold position until the pit stops, where he was successfully 'jumped' by two of his rivals, including teammate Vergne. With only two laps left in the race and struggling for pace, Ricciardo was overtaken by championship rival Aleshin. Finishing in that order, Ricciardo failed to secure the title in his debut year, losing out to Mikhail Aleshin by only two points.[26]
Ricciardo made his track debut at the wheel of a Formula One car when he tested for Red Bull Racing at the young drivers test at Circuito de Jerez over three days, starting on 1 December 2009.[28] On the final day of testing, he clocked the fastest time of the test by over a second. This placed him as the only driver to go into the 1:17 bracket.[29]Red Bull Racing's team manager Christian Horner suggested that Ricciardo may replace his 2010 World Series teammate Hartley as the team's test and reserve driver.[30] Ricciardo and Hartley went on to share test and reserve duties for both Red Bull and sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso[31] until the latter was removed from the Red Bull Junior team.[32]
On 11 November 2010, Ricciardo was confirmed as the single driver to represent Red Bull Racing at the end-of-season young driver's test at the Yas Marina Circuit, on 16–17 November.[33] Ricciardo continued to show his one-lap prowess and dominated the event, with his fastest lap being 1.3 seconds faster than 2010 World Champion Sebastian Vettel's qualifying lap the Saturday before.[34]
Days later, Ricciardo was confirmed as Toro Rosso's test and reserve driver for the 2011 season and would take part in the first free practice session of each race weekend.[35][36] Franz Tost, Toro Rosso team principal stated that "having a hungry youngster on the books will keep our current driver pairing nice and sharp", referring to then Toro Rosso drivers Jaime Alguersuari and Sébastien Buemi.[37]
However, on 22 October 2011, a few days before the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, the race where Karthikeyan was due to gain back his seat for his home race, HRT F1 announced that Vitantonio Liuzzi made way for Karthikeyan, allowing Ricciardo to race in India and extend his learning curve that Red Bull Racing paid the struggling Spanish team to do, as well as allowing Karthikeyan to race in front of his home fans.[40] In Abu Dhabi, Ricciardo retired with mechanical problems after starting 20th on the grid, and in the final race at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished 20th after starting 22nd on the grid.[41][42]
At the Australian Grand Prix on 18 March, Ricciardo managed to overtake his teammate Vergne late on the last lap to come home in ninth place, securing his first two World Championship points.[44]
In wet conditions in Malaysia, he finished 12th, after having been first to switch to slick tyres. In Bahrain, he qualified sixth, but dropped back during the race and finished 15th.[45][46] In Monaco, he suffered his only retirement of the season, after having started from 15th position.[47] Ricciardo would score points again only after the summer break, at the Belgian Grand Prix, where he started from 16th and finished ninth.[48][49] He also had a run of three consecutive points scores from the Singapore to the Korean Grand Prix.[50][51][52] He scored one more points finish in Abu Dhabi for the year, ending tenth.[53] Ricciardo finished 18th in the championship, with 10 points.[54]
He began the year by not finishing the opening two rounds, both due to exhaust issues. In China, Ricciardo scored his first points of the year after finishing seventh, claiming his best finish in F1 by far.[56] He finished tenth at the Spanish Grand Prix, following a slow start from 11th on the grid.[57] Ricciardo again was unable to finish the Monaco Grand Prix after Romain Grosjean crashed into the back of him, damaging his rear wing.[58] At the British Grand Prix, Ricciardo had his best qualifying yet in fifth.[59] He finished the race in eighth place.[60]
Ricciardo once again finished seventh at the Italian Grand Prix, having held off Grosjean in the dying laps.[61] More tenth places followed at India and the Brazilian Grand Prix.[62] Ricciardo out-scored his teammate by seven points and out-qualified him for over three-quarters of the season. His impressive qualifying efforts of 30–7 against Vergne over their two years together helped promote him to Toro Rosso senior team, Red Bull,[63] replacing fellow countryman Mark Webber.[64] Ricciardo finished 13th in the championship with 20 points.[65]
In the first race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in second place behind Lewis Hamilton[68] and finished the race in second place, withstanding pressure from rookie Kevin Magnussen in the final laps. Ricciardo was later disqualified, as his car was ruled to have exceeded the mandated hourly fuel flow rate limit.[69] Had he not been disqualified, it would have marked the first time an Australian had made the podium at the Australian Grand Prix since the race became part of the World Championship.[70] Infiniti Red Bull Racing filed an appeal against the disqualification, which was rejected by the International Court of Appeal, the FIA decision being upheld.[71]
Ricciardo failed to finish in the Malaysian Grand Prix,[72] but managed to record his first points of the 2014 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he finished fourth, after starting in 13th position.[73] He finished fourth again at the Chinese Grand Prix. Ricciardo would not wait long for his first podium, securing third place at the Spanish Grand Prix.[74]Monaco saw Ricciardo qualify in third, behind both Mercedes cars.[75] After dropping to fifth early on, he regained third after problems for teammate Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. He narrowly lost to Lewis Hamilton to second place by 0.4 seconds.[76]
At the Canadian Grand Prix, Ricciardo leaped from sixth on the grid to third during the pit stops, and in the last four laps, he overcame Sergio Pérez and Nico Rosberg to take his first win of his career.[77] By winning, Ricciardo became the fourth Australian to win a Grand Prix in Formula One, joining Jack Brabham, Alan Jones and Mark Webber.[78] His victory in Canada broke the chain of six Mercedes victories that marked the beginning of the 2014 season.[79] Ricciardo impressed many by beating Vettel throughout the first half of the 2014 season, and after a clean and tight battle between Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso at the German Grand Prix, Alonso described Ricciardo as "unbelievable" and "very, very smart, very respectful".[80]
Ricciardo won the Hungarian Grand Prix on 27 July, ahead of Alonso and Hamilton having started fourth.[81] He was in third place behind Alonso and Hamilton with less than four laps remaining and overtook Hamilton's Mercedes with a pass on the outside of the Hungaroring's turn two. He then easily caught and passed Alonso's Ferrari, as Alonso had very little grip left on his tyres – television footage of his left front tyre after the race showed it to be badly blistered. In the final two laps, Ricciardo pulled away to win the race by 5.225 seconds.[82] His teammate Vettel survived a spin coming onto the main straight late in the race to finish seventh.[83] Ricciardo became the second Australian to win the Hungarian Grand Prix, after Mark Webber's victory – also for Red Bull – in 2010.[84] Ricciardo then went on to score his third victory of his career to go back to back in Belgium, after the two Mercedes drivers collided. This meant he was the first Australian to win there since Jack Brabham in 1960.[85]
Ricciardo finished the Italian Grand Prix in fifth place, after a tense battle with teammate Vettel during the late stages of the race. At the Singapore Grand Prix, he qualified third and finished in the same position.[86]
On 4 October 2014, it was announced that Ricciardo would partner Daniil Kvyat for the 2015 season, following the announcement of Vettel's departure from the team.[87] He took his final podium of the year at the United States Grand Prix.[88] Ricciardo clinched third place in the World Drivers' Championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix, after retiring from the race. He was forced to retire on lap 39 due to a broken suspension.[89] In the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished in fourth place starting from the pit lane due to a front wing infringement, and secured the first fastest lap of his Formula One career.[90] For his 2014 performances, Ricciardo won the Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year in April 2015.[91] Throughout the 2014 season, Ricciardo harnessed a total of 238 points, three wins and five more podiums.
On 8 February 2015, during the third episode of series 22 of the popular British motoring television programme Top Gear, Ricciardo became the fastest Formula One driver to perform a lap of the Top Gear test track during the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car feature, beating the previous record-holder Lewis Hamilton with a time of 1:42.2.[92]
In 2015, Red Bull slipped behind Ferrari and Williams in their efforts to take the title fight to Mercedes. The Red Bull cars were held back by the Renault power unit having been out-developed by Mercedes and Ferrari. The RB11 only showed pace in slow and twisty high downforce tracks[original research?] or rain[failed verification], highlighting the car's strong chassis.[93]
He finished the opening race at the Australian Grand Prix in sixth, the RB11 seemingly uncompetitive as he finished a lap down.[94] Following several points finishes in the first part of the year, Ricciardo's engine blew up on the final lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix—whilst running in sixth—forcing him to use his fourth and final engine of the year.[95] Ricciardo achieved his first top-five finish in Monaco with fifth and the fastest lap of the race.[96] He had a woeful race at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he finished 13th after being hit by car issues.[97]
While tussling for second in Hungary with Nico Rosberg, his race-winning charge ground to a halt when the two clashed while hunting down Sebastian Vettel. Ricciardo managed to finish third behind his teammate.[98] It was his first podium since the 2014 United States Grand Prix. Ricciardo recorded his second podium of the season in Singapore, where he finished second and recorded his third fastest lap of the season.[99]
Ricciardo finished the season with 92 points in eighth place in the championship, three points behind teammate Daniil Kvyat.[100] Ricciardo out-qualified Kvyat 14–5, and trailed him 10-9 in races across the season.[101]
In a much more competitive Red Bull, Ricciardo began the season well, finishing 4th in both Australia and Bahrain and qualifying 2nd and then leading early on in the Chinese Grand Prix before suffering a tyre blowout and finishing in 4th again.[102][103][104] Ricciardo qualified third at the Spanish Grand Prix, and after the two Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg crashed out on the first lap, he led the early stages of the race.[105] After a remarkable strategy call by Ferrari resulting in a very short third stint for Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull decided to answer this by pitting Ricciardo again and covering Vettel, also going for the presumed faster three-stop strategy.[106] This dropped him behind Vettel, new teammate Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen on track, and after a few failed attempts at passing Vettel, a tyre blowout late on in the race meant that he finished fourth again, behind eventual winner Verstappen, and the Ferraris of Räikkönen and Vettel.[107]
Ricciardo scored his first pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix, and led the early wet stages of the race.[108] However, after a very long pitstop in which his team took nearly 40 seconds to ready a set of tyres, he lost the race lead to Lewis Hamilton and finished the race in 2nd.[109][110] Ricciardo was notably upset after the race result, saying: "Two weekends in a row I've been screwed now. It sucks. It hurts."[111] A pair of seventh-place finishes followed in Canada and Azerbaijan.[112][113] A fourth place at the British Grand Prix would soon come, having been outqualified by a teammate for the first time that year.[114] Ricciardo returned to the podium in Hungary, finishing third, and in Germany, where he finished second.[115][116] On the podium in Germany, Ricciardo performed a new celebration, where he drank champagne out of his shoe. He calls this celebration the "shoey".[117] He repeated the celebration at the Belgian Grand Prix (where he came second again), this time persuading podium interviewer Mark Webber to also drink from the shoe.[118][119][120] Ricciardo qualified and finished second at the Singapore Grand Prix, after pushing eventual winner Rosberg hard near the end, a late strategy change pushing him to under half a second behind at the finish line.[121][122]
Ricciardo qualified fourth at the Malaysian Grand Prix but moved up to second into turn one, after a collision between Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg.[123][124] He then took the lead late on in the race when leader Lewis Hamilton retired with an engine failure. After fighting with his Red Bull teammate Verstappen, Ricciardo took his first victory of the season.[125][126][127] He repeated his "shoey" celebration on the podium and was able to get team boss Christian Horner as well as podium sharers Verstappen and Rosberg to repeat the celebration.[128] He finished third at the United States Grand Prix.[129] Ricciardo eventually sealed third in the Drivers' Championship following a podium finish in Mexico.[130][131] He scored 256 points and achieved one pole, one win, seven other podiums and three fastest laps. Other than Sergio Pérez, he is the only driver to have been classified in every race of the 2016 season.[132]
Ricciardo qualified 10th in Australia after spinning into the tyre barrier in Q3.[133] He incurred a five-place grid penalty due to an unscheduled gearbox change as a result of the crash. A gearbox sensor issue prevented him from taking the start and when he did get going, two laps down, a sudden fuel pressure problem ended his race after 25 laps.[134][135] In China, Ricciardo would finish fourth after narrowly losing out to teammate Max Verstappen on the last lap.[136] Starting fourth at the Bahrain Grand Prix,[137] and after a poor safety car restart which dropped him three places, he was able to pass Felipe Massa and finish in fifth.[138] He endured a second retirement in four races at the Russian Grand Prix, pulling out on lap 5 due to brake issues. Ricciardo scored his first podium of the year, with third in Spain, albeit finishing over a minute behind the leaders.[139] This marked the start of five consecutive podiums. He qualified fifth at the Monaco Grand Prix,[140] and a strong overcut allowed him to jump Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas for another third place.[141] Yet another third place followed in Canada after jumping Kimi Räikkönen, and inheriting positions after Vettel stopped for a front wing change and Verstappen retired.[142]
At the first Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified tenth having hit the wall. Ricciardo pitted early on lap 5 due to brake issues, and was down to 17th. However, he would charge back to the top 10 in a matter of laps, and sat fifth at the time of the red flag. Following the restart, Ricciardo made a sensational three-car overtake that moved him to third place, sitting behind Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. However, Vettel was due to serve a stop/go penalty while Hamilton pitted due to a loose headrest, promoting Ricciardo into the lead.[143] He would then cross the line and win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, four seconds ahead of Bottas.[144] At Austria, Ricciardo got past Räikkönen on the opening lap for third, and held off Hamilton for his fifth podium on the bounce.[145] Ricciardo took a five-place grid penalty for the British Grand Prix due to a gearbox change,[146] but he suffered a turbo failure in Q1, relegating to 19th on the grid.[147] In a stunning drive, Ricciardo produced a comeback that saw him climb fourteen places to fifth place.[148] His run of form came to a halt at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as he and teammate Verstappen collided at Turn 2 on the opening lap, causing Ricciardo's radiator to break and spin out a corner later.[149]
Ricciardo stood on the podium in third place at the Belgian Grand Prix, having made up a place on Bottas during the second safety car restart from sixth on the grid.[150] However the next race in Italy forced Ricciardo to take additional power unit elements, which necessitated a 20-place grid penalty.[151] He qualified third, but was demoted to 16th.[152] Making yet another drive through the field, Ricciardo performed spectacular overtakes to end in fourth place.[153] In Singapore, from third,[154] He would inherit second at the start after a multi-car shunt, which was where he would finish.[155]Malaysia delivered another podium in third place, after front-row starter Räikkönen was unable to take the start,[156] and secured third again in Japan.[157] This was followed by consecutive retirements in United States and Mexico.[158]
At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Ricciardo took another engine penalty that relegated him to 14th on the grid.[159] He was caught up in a spin at the start by being tagged by Stoffel Vandoorne, but would still vault up to finish in sixth place.[160] After maintaining fourth in the drivers' championship for much of the season, a third retirement in the last four races at Abu Dhabi saw Ricciardo drop down to fifth in the championship, with 200 points, five points behind Räikkönen.[161] Ricciardo had scored one win, one fastest lap and nine podiums.
Ricciardo started the season with a fourth-place in Australia, from eighth on the grid after a three-place penalty for speeding under red flag conditions.[162][163] In Bahrain, he recorded a non-finish after an electrical failure on the second lap.[164] His result in the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix was much better, taking a commanding victory by almost nine seconds, after starting sixth on the grid.[165][166] Running sixth for majority of the race, he and teammate Max Verstappen both pitted for fresher tyres under the safety car on lap 30. Ricciardo would put on an overtaking masterclass, overtaking five cars in a span of eight laps to win the race.[167] At the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in fourth.[168] He was fighting for fourth with teammate Max Verstappen in the latter half of the race. On lap 40, both drivers collided, Ricciardo's front wing made heavy contact with his teammate's rear, and the incident caused both drivers to retire.[169][170] Following the race, Horner stated that both drivers were ordered to "apologise" at the Red Bull factory.[171]
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished fifth and set the track record, after spinning under the virtual safety car.[172] Coming into the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix, Ricciardo and Verstappen were considered favourites to win the race due to their cars superior chassis and down-force. Ricciardo topped all three practice sessions before qualifying, breaking the lap record with each session.[173] Ricciardo managed to secure the second pole of his career at Monaco, topping every qualifying session as well and setting a new lap record again.[174][175] In the race, Ricciardo managed to hold off the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel to take his first Monaco Grand Prix victory and his first Grand Prix win from pole position, having to manage a loss of power due to a MGU-K power output issue throughout the race.[176][177] His result would lift him to third in the standings, but his win would turn out to be his last podium of the season.[178] He was set for a grid penalty at the Canadian Grand Prix due to his damaged MGU-K,[179] but Red Bull opted to re-use his other from China.[180] Starting sixth,[181] After jumping Kimi Räikkönen at the start, a successful overcut on Lewis Hamilton brought him to fourth place at the finish.[182]
Front wing damage mid-race limited progress in France, as he was passed by Räikkönen late in the race which demoted him out of the podium positions, eventually settling for fourth again.[183] More disappointment came on his birthday weekend at Austrian Grand Prix, retiring with an exhaust failure on lap 54.[184] An uncompetitive weekend followed at the British Grand Prix, finishing fifth after a DRS failure in qualifying.[185][186] He started the German Grand Prix from the back of the grid after changing power unit components,[187] but suffered yet another engine failure during the race.[188] Bad luck continue to befall Ricciardo in Hungary, as a spin for Lance Stroll early in a wet session prevented him from completing a clean lap, knocking him out in Q2.[189] Following lap one contact with Marcus Ericsson, Ricciardo managed to progress to fifth place at the halfway mark. He would later make contact again with a damaged Valtteri Bottas on lap 68, but passed him back on the final lap for fourth place.[190]
On 3 August, Ricciardo announced his shock departure from Red Bull at the end of 2018.[191] Ricciardo would suffer consecutive retirements in Belgium and Italy, being caught up in a first-lap incident in the former and sustaining a clutch issue in the latter.[192][193] This was followed by two sixth places in succession, the latter race at the Russian Grand Prix saw Ricciardo start at the back for a third time due to engine penalties.[194][195] At the Japanese Grand Prix, Ricciardo suffered another qualifying setback, being hit by an exhaust failure that confined him to 15th on the grid, having failed to set a lap in Q2.[196] Fortunately, Ricciardo replicated his Hungary drive and pushed all the way to fourth place.[197] Later in the season, he tied for the most retirements in the 2018 season, with 8 retirements in total.[198] At the United States Grand Prix, Ricciardo outqualified Verstappen for the first time since Monaco in fifth, the Dutchman endured suspension issues.[199] However, his run of mechanical retirements hit him on lap 9, pulling over with a battery failure.[200]
Ricciardo secured pole at the Mexican Grand Prix ahead of teammate Verstappen by a mere 0.027 seconds.[201] A slow start dropped him to third, and was later passed by Vettel following the pit stops. Ricciardo did manage to catch up to Hamilton to reclaim third place, but to no avail as his car suffered a hydraulics issue on lap 61, forcing him to retire for an eighth time, tied for the most retirements in the 2018 season. After the race, Ricciardo insisted that his car was cursed and said that he "didn't see the point" in doing the final two races of the season.[202] An engine penalty in Brazil dropped him to 11th,[203] and narrowly missed the podium to Räikkönen by 0.4 seconds in another stunning charge.[204] Ricciardo finished fourth again at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a wrong strategy meant he finished fourth again.[205] He managed four fastest laps for the season, in Australia, China, Spain and Hungary and finished the season sixth in the World Drivers' Championship with 170 points.[206][207]
On 3 August 2018, it was announced that Ricciardo had signed a contract to drive for Renault in 2019 and 2020.[208] His teammate for the 2019 season was Nico Hülkenberg.[209] Ricciardo had a poor start to the season with retirements in the first two races, from front wing damage in Australia and power failure in Bahrain, having run well in the points in the latter race.[210][211] A first Q3 appearance followed in China followed,[212] before driving to his first points finish with Renault in seventh place.[213] In Azerbaijan, Ricciardo reversed into Daniil Kvyat when both cars stopped after an overtake attempt by Ricciardo, causing race-ending damage for both drivers and Ricciardo's third retirement in four races.[214] Six consecutive race finishes followed, he finished 13th at the Spanish Grand Prix after a questionable race strategy.[215] He had his best qualifying thus far with sixth in Monaco,[216] but a late call to pit before the safety car, dropped to ninth at the flag.[217] Ricciardo had a successful weekend in Canada, improving his personal best qualifying position to fourth.[218] He proceeded to finish in sixth place, having held off a faster Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas for numerous laps.[219]
Ricciardo crossed the line in seventh place at the French Grand Prix having been embroiled in a four-car battle, but was given two separate five-second penalties on the final lap. This was for failing to re-join the track safely after overtaking Lando Norris, and then overtook Kimi Räikkönen off-track, resulting in him being dropped out of the points.[220] After a perplexing race in Austria,[221] Ricciardo started and finished seventh at the British Grand Prix.[222][223] He then suffered an exhaust failure at the German Grand Prix.[224] More woes followed in Hungarian as he suffered a disastrous Q1 exit,[225] and was then stuck behind Kevin Magnussen's Haas throughout the latter half of the race.[226]
Ricciardo took a five-place grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix due to a new engine, demoting him to tenth on the grid.[227] A collision at the start with Lance Stroll caused significant damage to his car, seeing him fall to 14th place.[228] At the Italian Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified fifth, and a spin for Sebastian Vettel during the race meant Ricciardo finished in fourth place, his best result of the year.[229][230] Hülkenberg finished in fifth, contributing to Renault's best finish since the team returned to the sport in 2016.[231] Ricciardo qualified eighth for the Singapore Grand Prix but was disqualified due to exceeding the MGU-K power limit during Q1, relegating him to the back.[232] He had an eventful race, moving up to 12th by lap 10 but then suffering a puncture after contact with Antonio Giovinazzi. Following that, Ricciardo was embroiled in multiple battles and came home for 14th place.[233]
Ricciardo was involved in a first-lap collision in Russia, leading to his eventual retirement.[234] Ricciardo charged from 16th to sixth place in Japan after an excellent final stint.[235] However, both Renault cars were disqualified ten days later for using illegal driver aids.[236] From 13th in Mexico, Ricciardo finished in eighth place having pressured Sergio Pérez's Racing Point towards the end.[237] He would follow this with sixth-place finishes in the United States and Brazil,[238] making contact with Kevin Magnussen during the latter, in which Ricciardo sustained front wing damage and earned a five-second time penalty.[239] He wrapped up with 11th place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.[240]
Ricciardo ended a relatively disappointing season for Renault in ninth place in the championship, with 54 points, ahead of teammate Hülkenberg.[241]
At the British Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in eighth.[250] Ricciardo finished in fourth place, gaining two positions in the final laps after overtaking Lando Norris and then Carlos Sainz Jr. sustaining a puncture.[251][252] He was running in sixth place before late tyre punctures for Carlos Sainz Jr. and Valtteri Bottas promoted him to fourth. At the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified fifth,[253] but spun midway through the race and finished 14th.[254] Ricciardo qualified thirteenth and finished eleventh at the next race in Spain.[255][256]
Ricciardo would go on an eleven race point-scoring streak until the end of the season, starting with the Belgian Grand Prix, where he qualified in an impressive fourth.[257] After a challenge on Max Verstappen, he would secure his fourth place, as well as taking the fastest lap on the last lap of the race.[258][259] At the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, he qualified seventh and finished in sixth place.[260][261] At the Tuscan Grand Prix, he qualified eighth and was able to move up to fourth, eventually jumping Lance Stroll to run in third place.[262] At the second red flag restart, Ricciardo briefly moved up to second, but was re-overtaken by Valtteri Bottas and later by Alex Albon, leaving him to finishing in fourth place.[263]
At the Russian Grand Prix, Ricciardo was fastest in the second qualifying segment, and managed to qualify in fifth place.[264][265] In the race, he finished in fifth place following a five-second penalty for violating track limits when he overtook teammate Ocon.[266] At the Eifel Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified sixth and quickly made his way to fourth place in the early laps.[267] After Bottas ahead retired, Ricciardo would eventually secure third, earning the team's first podium since the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.[268] This was Ricciardo's first podium since joining Renault, and his first since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix.[269]
In the next race, the Portuguese Grand Prix, he started tenth after having a crash towards the end of the second segment of qualifying, damaging his rear wing.[270] He finished ninth in the race, describing it as "damage limitation".[271] At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Ricciardo again impressed with fifth in qualifying.[272][273] From there, he overtook Pierre Gasly on the first lap, before being overcut by Pérez after being stuck behind traffic. However, a tyre failure and the retirement of Verstappen and a strategy error by Pérez's team Racing Point allowed him to finish in third place, collecting his second podium finish for Renault.[274] At the Turkish Grand Prix, Ricciardo started fifth again,[275] Ricciardo lost positions as his teammate Ocon spun, with Ricciardo spinning on his own as well late in the race. He eventually finished the race in tenth place.[276]
In the Bahrain Grand Prix, he started sixth and overtook Valtteri Bottas on the first lap.[277] However, following a red flag, he had a poor second start, which dropped him down to tenth place. He eventually moved up to seventh place.[278] At the Sakhir Grand Prix, after qualifying seventh, he had a chance of a podium after Charles Leclerc, Verstappen, and Pérez all collided in the first lap of the race.[279] But a mistimed second pit stop caused Ricciardo to be overtaken, ending the race in fifth place.[280] In his final race for Renault at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he qualified twelfth; however, a good first stint allowed him to exit the pits in seventh place.[281] He also took the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.[282][283] He finished in fifth place in the championship standings with 119 points, six points behind Pérez in fourth.[284]
After two years at Renault, Ricciardo joined McLaren for the 2021 Formula One World Championship as a replacement for Carlos Sainz Jr., who had signed a multi-year deal with Ferrari.[285] He partnered with Lando Norris, who was retained by the team.[286] He qualified sixth for his first race with the team at the Bahrain Grand Prix.[287] On lap four, Pierre Gasly collided with Ricciardo, causing floor damage to his car, resulting in the loss of a considerable amount of downforce. Ricciardo was able to finish the season opener in seventh.[288] At the following race, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he qualified sixth once again.[289] Ricciardo moved up to fifth on the opening lap but was subsequently unable to keep pace with the top four cars in the wet conditions and was ordered to let Norris past to contend for the podium, which he did,[290] and he eventually finished the race in sixth.[291] At the Portuguese Grand Prix, Ricciardo started from sixteenth after being shockinglu knocked out during the first phase of qualifying.[292] He recovered to ninth during the race, after a pass on Sainz late in the race.[293][294]
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified seventh,[295] but managed to climb to fifth on the opening lap. He defended fifth from Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez until lap 45, where Pérez was able to get past at turn one. He finished sixth, marking the first time in the season he finished ahead of Norris.[296] In the following round of the season, the Monaco Grand Prix, Ricciardo was eliminated in the second phase of qualifying and finished twelfth during the race after being lapped by his teammate, who finished on the podium.[297][298] A crash in qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix meant Ricciardo started the race in thirteenth,[299] though he was able to climb up into the points during the race and finished ninth.[300] At the French Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished in sixth position having held off Pierre Gasly at the end.[301][302] Ricciardo qualified thirteenth at the Styrian Grand Prix.[303] By the end of the fifth lap, he had moved up to eighth, but on lap seven he suffered a loss in power which saw him drop down to fourteenth, and he finished in thirteenth.[304] At the Austrian Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished seventh after starting thirteenth.[305][306] The British Grand Prix saw Ricciardo qualify in seventh place, just behind his teammate. He finished Formula One's first-ever sprint race in sixth place after an overtaking move on Fernando Alonso in the closing stages. Starting the Grand Prix from sixth, Ricciardo benefited from Max Verstappen's retirement to finish in fifth place. This was his first top five finish at McLaren.[307]
The final race before the summer break, the Hungarian Grand Prix saw Ricciardo qualify in eleventh. A chaotic start to the race, which saw seven cars eliminated, meant Ricciardo climbed to second place by the first corner, only for him to be wiped out of the race by another collision and finish the race in eleventh after picking up significant damage to his car.[308] Upon returning from the summer break, Ricciardo qualified fourth for the Belgian Grand Prix in wet conditions, ahead of his teammate who crashed out in Q3. The race on Sunday was delayed multiple times due to torrential rain and was abandoned after two laps behind the safety car. As a result, Ricciardo was classified fourth and scored six points.[309] The following weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in tenth, again ahead of his teammate. On race day, he was denied a points finish after conceding his tenth position during the closing stages, under orders from the team, to Lando Norris, who was on fresher tyres. Nonetheless, it was a weekend where Ricciardo was the quicker of the two McLaren drivers.[310]
Ricciardo qualified in fifth at the next race, the Italian Grand Prix, six thousandths of a second behind his teammate. During the sprint race on Saturday, Ricciardo gained two positions on the opening lap to finish in third position, earning one championship point. As a result of a grid penalty for Valtteri Bottas, Ricciardo started Sunday's Grand Prix on the front row. This also marked the third race in a row where he had out-qualified his teammate. At the start of the race, Ricciardo got a better start than polesitter Max Verstappen and took the lead into turn one. He held off Verstappen for 21 laps, surviving a safety car restart and late pressure from Norris, whom he led home to claim his first victory for McLaren while also setting the fastest lap. This was also the team's first win since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix and their first one-two finish since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.[311] At the Russian Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified fifth on the grid, behind his teammate Lando Norris who was on pole position. A late rain shower in the final few laps saw Ricciardo pit for intermediate tyres and work his way up to fourth place.[312] At the Turkish Grand Prix, Ricciardo was knocked out in Q1 and took an engine penalty, starting at the back of the grid. During the race, he managed to progress up to 13th.[313]
At the United States Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified seventh, ahead of teammate Norris, who qualified behind him in eighth. He was then promoted to sixth place on the grid as a result of a grid penalty for Valtteri Bottas. Overtaking Sainz on lap one following a three-way battle between himself, Sainz and Norris, he managed to hold on to fifth place, defending from Sainz and helping McLaren score crucial points in the battle for third place in the Constructors' Championship with Ferrari, while Norris finished eighth.[314] At the Mexico City Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in seventh place and split the two Ferraris. He would be McLaren's main driver for the race, as Norris started last with an engine penalty. Ricciardo made a blistering start and was alongside Sergio Pérez for fourth place heading into turn one. He had a small lockup and made contact with Valtteri Bottas at turn one and suffered damage to his front wing. After a pitstop, he fell to last place and could only recover to twelfth place, while teammate Norris was able to come from the back of the grid to finish in tenth place.[315] At the São Paulo Grand Prix, Ricciardo ran in eighth place and challenged Pierre Gasly for seventh before he had to retire with a power issue, making it his first retirement of the season.[316]
At the Qatar Grand Prix, Ricciardo was knocked out in Q2, qualifying 14th, and could only manage 12th in the race after fuel issues hindered his opportunity to progress.[317] Ricciardo managed to end his pointless streak at the penultimate race in Saudi Arabia. After qualifying in eleventh place, he benefitted from a pit-stop during the red flag period to gain positions and finished the race in fifth place.[318] At the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Ricciardo managed to qualify in 10th place. He then finished 12th after he was overcut by Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly as a result of a virtual safety car. He ended the season in eighth place in the drivers standings, scoring 115 points with just one podium, his race win at Monza.[319]
2022
Ricciardo missed the final day of the 2022 pre-season test in Bahrain, due to a positive COVID-19 test on 11 March. He was released from isolation in time for the opening race of the season, on 20 March.[320] In the opening season race at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Australian qualified 18th and finished the race in 14th ahead of his teammate Norris in 15th, due to a lack of pace and three driver retirements.[321] At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified 12th, and was running in 9th during the race. However, he brought out the virtual safety car on lap 35 after his McLaren stopped at the pit lane exit due to an engine failure.[322] At the Australian Grand Prix, Ricciardo managed to qualify in 7th place, and finished in 6th place behind his teammate Norris in his home Grand Prix.[323] At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in 6th place for the sprint race on that Saturday, where he managed to maintain 6th place during the sprint for the race. During the first lap of the race, Ricciardo collided with Carlos Sainz Jr., causing Sainz to retire from the race, and damaging Ricciardo's front wing. At the end of the race, Ricciardo finished in last place, while his teammate, Norris finished on the podium with 3rd place.[324]
At the Miami Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified 14th and finished the race in 13th place after his teammate retired.[325] After making it to Q3 and qualifying ninth for the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix, Ricciardo failed to score points and finished twelfth.[326] In the build up to the Monaco Grand Prix Ricciardo was criticised for his early season performance relative to teammate Lando Norris by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown in an interview Brown gave to Sky Sports F1 stating Ricciardo's poor early season results had "not met his [Ricciardo's] or our expectations."[327] Ricciardo finished eighth in Azerbaijan ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, a track on which he has previously won. He then failed to score points in the Canadian Grand Prix.[328][329] At the British Grand Prix Ricciardo qualified 14th and could only finish the race one place higher in 13th after complaining post-race of lacking grip during the race.[330][331] After two ninth placed points scoring results Austria and France. Ricciardo finished pointless at the Hungarian Grand Prix finishing 15th having received a 5-second penalty for colliding with Lance Stroll during the race.[332]
In August 2022, McLaren and Ricciardo terminated his contract a year early, by mutual agreement.[333] Following qualifying of the Japanese Grand Prix, Ricciardo announced that he would not be on the grid for the 2023 Formula One season.[334] Ricciardo went on to finish in 5th place, his best performance of the season after qualifying in 16th, at the Singapore Grand Prix.[335] At the Mexico City Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished in points in 7th place, imposed with a 10 second penalty during the race after colliding with Yuki Tsunoda.[336] In his final race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished in 9th place, bringing him to 10th in the Driver's Championship with 37 points,[337][338] while McLaren finished in 5th in the Constructor's Championship behind Alpine.[339]
Red Bull third driver (2023)
After leaving McLaren at the conclusion of the 2022 season, Daniel Ricciardo elected to rejoin Red Bull Racing as a third driver for the 2023 season.[340] The role saw him complete PR activities, assist in simulator and factory work and, while attending race weekends, access chat channels and communications to support the race team.[341] Ricciardo also drove the Red Bull Racing RB19 in the Pirelli tests held on July 11 at Silverstone in the 2023 British Grand Prix.[342]
AlphaTauri/RB (2023–2024)
2023
After Nyck de Vries was released from his AlphaTauri seat in July 2023,[343] Ricciardo was announced that he would fill the vacant seat, making his return to Formula One for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, partnered with Yuki Tsunoda.[344] Ricciardo qualified and finished in thirteenth position in his first race back with AlphaTauri in Hungary, following a first-lap incident that dropped him into last.[345] At the Belgian Grand Prix Ricciardo qualified 19th for the main race after breaching track limits on his final flying lap while teammate Tsunoda qualified 11th, just missing out on a Q3 spot.[346] Ricciardo had a better performance in the sprint shootout, qualifying 11th for the shorter race and finishing 10th.[347] In the main race, Ricciardo finished 16th while Tsunoda earned a point with 10th.[348]
During the second free practice of the Dutch Grand Prix, Ricciardo broke a metacarpal bone in his hand in seven places, preventing him from competing for the rest of the weekend. Liam Lawson replaced Ricciardo, making his F1 debut.[349][350][351]
Riccardo's injury forced him to miss the next 4 rounds in Italy, Singapore, Japan and Qatar with Lawson replacing him for all 4 of those races but he returned for the United States Grand Prix.[352] Ricciardo qualified a season-best fourth for the Mexico City Grand Prix. He went on to finish the race in 7th position, giving AlphaTauri their best finish of the season. This result subsequently took AlphaTauri to 8th in the constructors championship, after being in last for most of the season.[353]
AlphaTauri, which was renamed to RB Formula One Team for the 2024 season,[354] retained Ricciardo alongside Tsunoda.[355] At the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in 14th position, three places behind his teammate and 0.150 seconds off from Q2.[356] He finished the race in 13th place, having swapped positions with Tsunoda in an attempt to overtake Kevin Magnussen in 12th in the last six laps.[357] At the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Ricciardo faced a disappointing weekend, qualifying in 14th and finishing the race in 16th, which saw him spun out in the last lap.[358][359] At the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in 18th position, after having his last qualifying lap deleted for exceeding track limits. He was eliminated in Q1 for the first time in his 10 races at his home Grand Prix.[360] Ricciardo improved in the race, finishing in 12th place.[361]
At the Japanese Grand Prix, Ricciardo was replaced by Ayumu Iwasa for the first practice session of the weekend.[362][363] In qualifying, Ricciardo made it to 11th position, missing Q3 by 0.055 seconds behind his teammate Tsunoda.[364] Ricciardo retired in the opening lap of the race after colliding with Alex Albon in the first chicane which led to both drivers hitting the barriers.[365] The stewards deemed it a racing incident due to circumstances that involved the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll in the turn.[366][367] In the first sprint race of the season in the Chinese Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished in 11th from his qualified position of 14th.[368] He retired in the main race during the safety car period in lap 26 after being collided in his rear-end by Lance Stroll as the two were entering the hairpin.[369] In a post-race interview, Ricciardo criticised Stroll for not paying attention and taking responsibility for the collision.[370] After the race, which saw both RB cars retire,[371] Ricciardo was given a three-place grid penalty for the Miami Grand Prix after stewards found he had overtaken the Haas of Nico Hülkenberg under the safety car.[372]
In Miami, Ricciardo qualified fourth in the sprint and finished the race in his starting position, earning points for the first time in the season. He received plaudits during the sprint for his defence against Carlos Sainz Jr. in the Ferrari.[373] For the main race, Ricciardo qualified in 18th, due to start in 20th from his grid penalty in Shanghai, and finished in 15th position.[374] He attributed his drop in qualifying to a lack of tyre grip in his flying lap.[375] Ricciardo progressed to Q3 for the first time at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, outqualifying the Red Bull of Sergio Pérez by 0.015s in the second segment.[376] After a poor start in 9th position, Ricciardo finished the race four places down in 13th.[377]
Ricciardo is known for his aggressive style as well as favouring a late braking manoeuvre to engineer overtakes. Ricciardo also prefers to carry more speed through the corner by making it more of a 'U' shape, utilising a little rear instability on entry to turn in, and enough grip to rotate the car mid-corner without the rear breaking away.[380]
Ricciardo is regarded as one of the most prominent names in Formula One.[381] He is known for his laid back nature and smile, with The New York Times describing him in 2016 saying, "If a survey could be made of the 22 Formula One drivers to establish who smiles the most, has the sunniest disposition and seems to be generally the nicest guy, Ricciardo would surely be the leader."[382][383][384][385] His personal profile grew with the success of the reality show Drive to Survive, where he has been called "the face of the show".[382][386][387] After the 2021 season, Ricciardo was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for "significant service to motor sport as a competitor and ambassador, and to the community".[388][389]
Ricciardo is often referred to as "the honey badger" referencing his racing style, explaining how "[i]t's supposed to be the most fearless animal in the animal kingdom. When you look at it, he seems quite cute and cuddly, but as soon as someone crosses his territory in a way he doesn't like, he turns into a bit of a savage and he'll go after anything – tigers, pythons – he turns very quickly, but he's a good guy."[390][391]
Personal life
Ricciardo pronounces his surname "Ricardo" (/rɪˈkɑːrdoʊ/ⓘ) instead of the Italian pronunciation ([ritˈtʃardo], with a "ch"-sound), attributing this to the way it was usually pronounced growing up in Australia and by his family.[2][392]
He is also a UFC fan[396] and, during the course of his Formula 1 career, developed an affinity for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League.[397]
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance. ‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
* Season still in progress.
Notes
^Renault engines used by Red Bull were badged TAG Heuer from 2016 to 2018.
^ ab"Australia Day 2022 Honours List". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. 25 January 2022. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
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