Facebook
The F1 star grew up in a motorsport-loving family
As always, the 2006 Australian Grand Prix was an eclectic buffet of fame and power – with everyone from actress Amanda Bynes to the Dutch Prime Minister, a 70s pop star and the original Blue Wiggle, in the pit lane.
Unnoticed around a corner, chatting with Italian driver Jarno Trulli and former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins, was none other than 16-year-old Daniel Ricciardo.
The Perth boy had won a pass to the race – having been crowned Australian karting champion the year before – and that April day his world was turned upside down.
Family friend and then mentor Remo Luciani jokes that it was meeting Hawkins that did it: “He was practically drooling.”
But by rubbing shoulders with the stars of Formula One and feeling the roar of their engines, the shy teenager got his first real taste of the life he so fiercely pursued.
“I think he saw the picture: 'this is where I belong, this is what I want to do',” Luciani told the BBC.
A few years later, he would become not only a part of that world, but “a main character” in it.
But after 13 years in the sport – with an impressive 257 races, 32 podiums and eight wins – his F1 career came to an end last week, after Red Bull dropped him from their team.
He established himself as one of the circuit's most successful and popular drivers and the golden boy of Australian motorsport.
Hungry and talented
Coopers Photography
Ricciardo on his n°3 kart in 2004
Ever since his motorsport enthusiast father let him race on a go-kart track at the age of nine, Ricciardo has made quite an impression.
“There are those who get it at that age, and those who don't, and he got it pretty quickly,” says Tiger Kart Club stalwart John Wishart.
Ricciardo didn't blow away the competition, but he quickly established himself as a fast but fair rival with an infectious personality and fierce competitive spirit – a reputation he kept throughout his career.
“What you see on TV today is that Daniel was exactly the same as a child,” his childhood friend Lewis Shugar told the BBC.
“He was always laughing and having a good time, and even if things weren't going well for him, he always had a smile on his face,” Wishart said. “That in itself is a special talent.”
As he began to score victories in Western Australia, rumors of his promise spread to the east coast.
Daniel Ricciardo
The driver has a very healthy trophy cabinet
Ricciardo soon joined Remo Racing – a self-styled development team run by Luciani in Victoria.
“He learned very, very quickly and he was determined. He always wanted to go faster. I could see his hunger,” says Luciani – himself a karting legend and Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee.
Ricciardo won his first race with the team in 2005 and won the national karting championship that year, while also racing Formula Ford cars in his home state.
And with that, he was on his way abroad – a “big move” that Ricciardo says “changed everything”.
Each passing year brought a new rung on the ladder. In 2006 he raced in Asia, before moving to Italy the following year, then signing to the Red Bull development program as a “shy” and “immature” 18-year-old in 2008.
“Having that responsibility, that pressure, all that forced me to grow,” he told CNN Sport earlier this month.
Remo Racing
Ricciardo (right) and his Remo Racing teammates
In 2011, he made his long-awaited Grand Prix debut at Silverstone, on loan to Spanish team HRT, thrilling his supporters back home.
One described it as exceeding a 1 in 10 million chance.
“Just sitting in an F1 car is something almost no one will ever do – so just to have this opportunity is incredible,” says Shugar.
The honey badger
But Ricciardo wasn't content with just any place on the grid, and in 2014 he was called up to the main Red Bull team, replacing compatriot Mark Webber.
“I'm ready,” Ricciardo said at the time: “I'm not here to run for 10th place.”
True to his word, he won three races that year, surpassing his teammate and reigning champion Sebastian Vettel.
During his four years at Red Bull, he became known as Honey Badger – for his affable demeanor that belied his killer racing instincts.
“His trademark was these fantastic late braking moments which surprised the drivers,” Australian F1 journalist Michael Lamonato told the BBC.
“He always said he wanted to have the kind of reputation that meant he would be feared when another driver saw him in their mirrors, and I think he really achieved that.”
At the same time, its off-track popularity was soaring, even before the hit Netflix series Drive to Survive propelled F1 to new levels of fame.
“Daniel was one of the characters that was beginning to transcend the sport,” says Lamonato.
His iconic celebration of shoey – which is credited with popularizing the practice in Australia – memorable media soundbites and humorous stunts have endeared him to legions around the world.
“He looks like a mate, someone you could make friends with at the pub,” says Melbourne fan Issy Futcher.
“He’s made for this kind of fame.”
Getty Images
Ricciardo celebrates his 2018 victory in Monaco
The pinnacle of his career came with a courageous victory at Monaco in 2018, when he defended his lead for 50 laps while battling a failed engine, two years after a botched pit stop at the same circuit that saw victory slipping through his fingers.
“It was a race for redemption…this was really his defining victory,” Lamonato says.
But after unfortunate moves to Renault in 2019 and McLaren in 2021, where he struggled to replicate his previous success, he found himself struggling in 2023 and returned to the wider Red Bull fold as a driver reserve.
He joined the starting lineup in his junior team – now called RB – midway through the season, but was quickly derailed by a broken wrist and his form never recovered throughout 2024.
Rumors began to circulate and when the Singapore Grand Prix took place on September 22, the writing was on the wall. In a final hurray, Ricciardo received a new set of tires and set the fastest lap of the race.
After finishing last, the 35-year-old driver lingered in the cockpit for a while.
In a tearful post-race interview, Ricciardo said he was battling a lot of emotions.
“I’m aware that might be the case,” he said. “I just wanted to savor the moment.”
He had only wanted to return to the grid if he could get podiums and was therefore “at peace” with his impending fate, he told Sky Sports.
Getty Images
Ricciardo had a lackluster 2024
Days later, Red Bull confirmed he would be replaced for the remainder of the season by Kiwi youngster Liam Lawson – news which sparked outrage and cries of mistreatment.
Team boss Christian Horner said Ricciardo's statistics and accolades were not the only measure of his success.
“From the moment you arrived at Red Bull, it was clear that you were much more than just a driver. Your constant enthusiasm, sense of humor and attitude will leave an indelible legacy,” he said.
Amid an outpouring of tributes from his peers, Ricciardo said the journey had been “wild and wonderful”.
“I've loved this sport my whole life… There will always be ups and downs, but it's been fun and honestly, I wouldn't change it,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Until the next adventure.”
Secure inheritance
Getty Images
Ricciardo imposed his celebration on many, like poor Mark Webber
While details of this next venture are highly anticipated, Lamonato says Ricciardo has already established himself as one of F1's most underrated drivers.
“The best way to sum up Daniel Ricciardo is a driver with immense potential who has suffered what so many people do, which is bad turns in his career.”
His long career is almost unrivaled – only nine drivers have started more races – and his wins and podiums both place him in the top 40 drivers of all time, which is particularly impressive considering taking into account that everything was achieved without running for the dominant team of the day. .
And his legacy is already marked in Australia – where karting figures say he inspired both a surge in grassroots participation and the next wave of Australian motor racing stars like Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan.
Statistically, Ricciardo will be the fourth most successful Australian F1 star, but many believe he will be remembered as the greatest.
“I don’t think anyone will have had a similar effect as him in terms of bringing the sport back to the public,” Lamonato said.
“(He) made Australia proud,” Luciani concludes.
