Looking back on the best moments of Daniel Ricciardo’s career

It’s now official. Racing Bulls announced on September 26th that they were parting ways with Daniel Ricciardo while there are still 6 races left to compete in this 2024 season. He is replaced by young Liam Lawson. Although his future remains uncertain, a return to F1 seems a bit too utopian. It’s time to pay tribute to the career of the Australian who has competed for 14 seasons in the top category of motor racing.

Debuts with HRT in 2011

At 18, Daniel Ricciardo makes his Formula 1 debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the Hispania Racing Team (HRT). During this short learning year in a back-of-the-grid team, he outperforms his teammate in qualifying and in the race, only being beaten on two occasions when both cars crossed the finish line. He is promoted to Red Bull’s junior team, Toro Rosso, as early as 2012.

The Red Bull era

After two years at Toro Rosso, the Australian driver is chosen to drive alongside Sebastian Vettel for the 2014 season. He races his first Grand Prix with the Austrian team at home, for the Australian stage.

He gets his first career podium in Barcelona, before securing his first victory a few weeks later in Canada. That year, Ricciardo will finish 3rd in the driver’s championship, ahead of his teammate, who is 5th. It’s the beginning of a beautiful story with Red Bull, where he will stay until 2018.

This era undoubtedly remains the golden age of the so-called Danny Ric, remembered in particular for his aggressive driving style and daring overtaking. He achieves, under the colors of the Austrian team, 29 out of the 32 podiums in his career and 7 of his 8 victories.

The Shoey celebration

It is on the podium of the Hockenheimring in 2016 that Ricciardo performs his famous celebration for the first time.

The « shoey » is a typically Australian celebration where the driver drinks champagne from his race shoe on the podium. Introduced into the world of motorsport by V8 Utes driver Ryal Harris, it was popularized in Formula 1 by Daniel Ricciardo, after his second place at the 2016 German Grand Prix.

©️Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo on the podium of the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix

This rather quirky gesture immediately won over the audience. Since then, every time he stepped onto the podium, he would perform a “shoey”. He even convinced several personalities to join him, including Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and actor Sir Patrick Stewart.

Monaco 2018 and the celebration of the pool

Another key moment of his career is his victory at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2018, one of the most prestigious races in F1. This success is particularly satisfying after a mishap in 2016 where an error in the pit lane had cost him the win. The Australian thus fulfills one of his most beautiful dreams and can boast of being part of the very select club of victorious drivers in the principality.

©️Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo dives into the Red Bull pool after his victory in Monaco

Tradition dictates that every Red Bull driver who wins in Monaco must jump into the pool located on the team’s barge. Like Mark Webber (2010, 2012) and Sebastian Vettel (2011), Daniel Ricciardo is entitled to this quirky celebration.

The Nürburing podium 2020 with Renault

In 2019, Ricciardo makes a bold choice by joining Renault, a team in reconstruction. Third in the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, held on the Nürburgring track, he gives Renault its first podium since its return as a team in 2016. This is obviously a major event in Ricciardo’s and the team’s career.

For the record, Daniel Ricciardo even bet with his boss, Cyril Abiteboul, that he would get a tattoo if the Australian managed to secure this podium.

The victory at Monza 2021 with McLaren

By joining McLaren in 2021, Ricciardo had a difficult start, but he found glory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix by winning the iconic race at Monza, marking McLaren’s first victory since 2012. It was also his 8th and final success in F1.

That day, McLaren also achieved a historic double with Lando Norris finishing second on the podium. It is one of Ricciardo’s most memorable moments and a tribute to his talent and perseverance despite the challenges he faced.

His arrival in the Austin paddock on horseback

Daniel Ricciardo is a big fan of the United States, he even lives there part of the year in his house in Los Angeles. But if there is one region that has managed to seduce the native of Perth, it is Texas! Leather jacket, cowboy hat, cowboy boots… the driver, who loves the Austin meeting, has always known how to make an impression. During the 2022 edition, he made a striking entrance by arriving in the paddock on horseback!

This video is real. We promise. 🐴 @DanielRicciardo #USGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hWekL5T2o7

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) October 20, 2022

Never really a hero, Daniel Ricciardo still leaves an indelible mark in the world of Formula 1, which he knew how to mark with his talent and his unconditional smile. Even on the evening in Singapore when he had to say goodbye to the paddock for the last time, this smile did not leave his face. Cowardly abandoned by the Red Bull team with whom he had shared so many years, the Australian deserved farewell worthy of the name. His humility and endearing personality made him a very appreciated person who will be missed by many.