Daniel 'Honey Badger' Ricciardo

Australia is a sport-loving nation, with a good proportion of the population actively following and supporting their loved sports. The most popular sports in Australia include – Rugby, Cricket, Australian Football, and Soccer. Motorsport has been a popular sport in Australia attracting a very big fan following and spectators. The Land Down Under has produced 17 Formula One drivers and 2 World Champions – Jack Brabham (3-time world champion) and Alan Jones. Currently, there is only one driver from Australia on the F1 circuit – Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo is arguably the best all-rounder amongst the F1 drivers, and a dark horse for whom the sky is the limit. Let’s find out what makes him so amazing!

Daniel Ricciardo is a driver for the Renault F1 team alongside Frenchman Esteban Ocon. Ayrton Senna, one of the greatest race drivers of all time was the one who inspired Ricciardo to take to car racing. Ricciardo’s first taste of Motorsport came at the age of 9 when he began karting at the Tiger Kart Club. In 2005, Daniel entered the Australian Formula Ford series and put on an impressive performance despite driving a car, not on par with the competition. Daniel’s performance was enough to get him a scholarship to the Formula BMW Asia championship the next season. He finished his Formula BMW Asia debut season strongly with an impressive 3^rd spot in the championship.

Daniel’s performances and potential saw him attract a lot of attention from Europe. He moved to Formula Renault in 2007, hence entering the world of European circuit racing. Daniel quickly moved up the ranks with a string of great performances and entered the British F3 championship. Driving for Carlin Motorsport, Ricciardo won the British F3 championship becoming the first Australian driver to win the title since David Brabham won it in 1989. 

2011 was a landmark year for Ricciardo as he earned a driver’s seat with the HRT replacing Narain Karthikeyan in their line-up. Ricciardo got picked up by Toro Rosso for the 2012 season driving with new teammate Jean Eric Vergne. In 2013, Ricciardo finished 13^th in the championship during his second season with Toro Rosso. This got him a well-earned promotion to the senior team Red Bull Racing. Ricciardo was now in the big leagues!

Ricciardo replaced Mark Webber to drive alongside 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. Ricciardo was on the pace in his first race for Red Bull at the Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne. To everyone’s surprise Ricciardo finished the race second, only to be stripped off that position by the stewards due to technical irregularities. Driving an F1 car is a very challenging task both mentally and physically for a driver. F1 drivers need to have laser focus, super quick reflexes, concentration, and risk-taking ability amongst other attributes. Ricciardo has all this in abundance and is probably the most complete all-round driver on the F1 circuit. Ricciardo secured his first Grand Prix victory at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix and second win at the Hungarian Grand Prix in the same year. Ricciardo was awarded the Laurens World Sports Award for Breakthrough of The Year for his performances in 2014.

For the 2015 season, Sebastian Vettel moved to Scuderia Ferrari making Ricciardo the lead driver at Red Bull. Red Bull’s 2015 season was plagued by engine and reliability problems dampening the season for Ricciardo. Ricciardo has been nicknamed ‘Honey Badger’; an apt name for a personality like him. The Honey Badger is considered one of the most fearless animals. Ricciardo knows no fear and this shows in his driving. Ricciardo is as good as they come with regard to overtaking and late braking. Both these driving skills require a lot of skill to master and risk-taking ability to execute. Ricciardo can be credited for some of the best overtakes in F1 over the past decade. Ricciardo is not a driver you want to see behind you when driving on an F1 circuit…if you give him an inch, he will take a mile! Seeing Ricciardo overtake other cars on the circuit is like watching a masterclass, he makes it look so easy and effortless!

Braking is a very crucial skill to master when racing in any format. Timely braking at high speeds can avert fatal crashes. The art of braking late and managing to effectively overtake and control the car in a composed manner is something Ricciardo has aced! Just look at his performance during the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix, a sheer exhibition of class! Ricciardo had an interesting time at Red Bull when Dutch hotshot Max Verstappen became his teammate. The 2 drivers had a rivalry which pushed them to perform better against each other. While there was a rivalry on the track, both Daniel and Max are good friends off it. That’s just how Ricciardo is, unlike a lot of F1 drivers he is different and showcases a more human side to his personality. Fun-loving, always joking and goofing around Ricciardo is regarded by many as being the most fun guy in F1! Be it drinking champagne from his race shoe or jumping into a pool after winning a race…Ricciardo is a complete entertainer!

In 2018, it was announced that Ricciardo had signed a 2-year contract with the Renault F1 team and Pierre Gasly would take his seat at Red Bull. This came as a surprise to all but was also evident with the friction between Ricciardo and Verstappen at Red Bull in the previous season and the Red Bull team favoring Verstappen as their lead driver. The first season at Renault did not turn out as planned for Ricciardo, as the car had reliability issues and was just not capable of keeping up with the performance of the top cars in the circuit. When one looks at Ricciardo, his driving style and ability…the potential he has is evident and is a driver who deserves a worthy car to give him the means of winning the World Championship.  

Off the track, Ricciardo is a simple, fun-loving guy who leads a chilled out and leisurely life. A family man at heart, Ricciardo ensures he is always in touch while traveling the world for races or shuttling between his homes in Los Angeles, Perth, and Monaco. Ricciardo loves music and considers hip-hop, rap to be his preferred genre of choice. Ricciardo has a smile so broad that it can fill a dark room with light! Ricciardo is a world-class athlete who diligently follows his diet and fitness training regime. On the track, Ricciardo is a very aggressive yet balanced driver who understands when to switch from attack to defense and vice-versa.

Daniel Ricciardo is not only an amazing driver but is also an amazing human. He is the embodiment of a well-rounded athlete both on the track and off it as well. With uncertainty over his future at Renault, it shall be very interesting to see what’s in store for him. Is it time for Daniel ‘Honey Badger’ Ricciardo to make the switch to Ferrari? Let us know your thoughts.