Daniel Ricciardo
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( , ; born 1 July 1989) is an Australian
racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
, who most recently competed in
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
from to . Ricciardo won eight
Formula One Grands Prix Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeled auto racing series managed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name alludes to a series of FIA ...
across 14 seasons. Born and raised in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
to Italian-Australian parents, Ricciardo began competitive
kart racing Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on kart circuit, scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...
aged nine. Graduating to junior formulae in 2005, Ricciardo debuted in his regional
Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single-seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world have historically been an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...
championship. He won his first title at the 2008 Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup with SG Formula, before winning the 2009 British Formula 3 Championship with Carlin. Ricciardo then progressed to Formula Renault 3.5, finishing runner-up to Mikhail Aleshin by two points in his rookie season. Ricciardo made his Formula One debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with HRT as part of the Red Bull Junior Team, replacing Narain Karthikeyan for the remainder of the season. He earned a full-time drive with Toro Rosso in and competed in two seasons for them alongside Jean-Éric Vergne, scoring several points finishes in each. Ricciardo was promoted to Red Bull in , replacing the retiring Mark Webber to partner four-time defending World Drivers' Champion Sebastian Vettel. In his first season with Red Bull under Renault power, Ricciardo finished third in the championship, taking his maiden
victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...
at the , with further wins in
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
and
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. After a winless campaign for Red Bull, Ricciardo returned to the top of the podium at the in , eventually clinching third in the standings again. He took further wins for Red Bull at the in , as well as the Chinese and
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
Grands Prix in . Ricciardo signed with
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
in , finishing a season-best fourth in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. He retained his seat for his campaign, achieving multiple podiums and finishing fifth in the championship. He then joined
McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
in to partner Lando Norris, achieving his only race win and podium for the team at the . Amid struggles for form, Ricciardo left McLaren at the end of the season and re-signed as a reserve driver for Red Bull in . From the onwards, Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri; he retained his seat for their campaign as RB, but was replaced by Liam Lawson after the . Ricciardo achieved race wins, pole positions, fastest laps and podiums in Formula One. Ricciardo was appointed a
Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
in the 2022 Australia Day Honours.


Early life

Daniel Joseph Ricciardo was born on 1 July 1989 in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Western Australia, to Italian-Australian parents. His father, Giuseppe "Joe" Ricciardo, was born in Ficarra (
Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...
), but relocated to Australia with his family at age seven. Ricciardo's mother, Grace Pulitanò was born in Australia, but had parents originally from Casignana (
Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
). Ricciardo also has a sister; Michelle. Growing up in Duncraig, Ricciardo's earliest memories of motorsports were of his father racing at the nearby Barbagallo Raceway in Wanneroo. Raised
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, he attended high school at Newman College. He started karting at the age of 9.


Junior racing career


Karting

Ricciardo started karting at the age of nine as a member of the Tiger Kart Club (TKC) and entered numerous karting events.


Lower

In 2005, he entered the Western Australian
Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single-seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world have historically been an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...
championship driving a 15-year-old Van Diemen, finishing eighth by season's end. 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 Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single-seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world have historically been an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...
series, but his aging car was uncompetitive, and he finished 16th, 17th and retired during the weekend's three races. 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 Jarno Trulli (; born 13 July 1974) is an Italian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Trulli won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix with Renault in Formula One, Renault. He regularly competed in Formula ...
and Miss Universe 2004, Jennifer Hawkins. After finishing sixth in 2007 Formula Renault 2.0 Italia, Ricciardo was selected by Red Bull Junior Team.


Formula Three

During the mid-part of the 2008 season, Ricciardo made his
Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...
debut at the
Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
, 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. Ricciardo moved to the British Formula 3 Championship for the 2009 season driving for Carlin Motorsport. Ricciardo continued his partnership with Carlin by heading to the
Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix (; ) is an annual motorsport road racing event for automobiles and motorcycles held on the Guia Circuit in Macau. The event includes the Formula Regional and Motorcycle Grand Prix title races, with other races for Touri ...
with the team.


Formula Renault 3.5 Series

On 30 October 2009, Ricciardo was signed by Tech 1 to compete in the 2010 season. He had competed with the team at the
Autódromo Internacional do Algarve The Algarve International Circuit (), commonly referred to as Portimão Circuit, is a race circuit located in Portimão, Algarve region, Portugal. The development includes a karting track, off-road track, technology park, five-star hotel, sp ...
in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
and was the teammate to
Brendon Hartley Brendon Morris Hartley (born 10 November 1989) is a New Zealand racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Motorsport GmbH, Toyota. Hartley competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing (motorsport) ...
, another driver who drove for Tech 1 over the season. 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 Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. 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 Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
, Ricciardo secured his third
pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
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 The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtai ...
and at the
Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring, officially Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other mot ...
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." At the first race at the
Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
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. 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, Ricciardo managed a lights-to-flag victory, setting the fastest lap and placing himself equal first with one race remaining. 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. In
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
Ricciardo raced for ISR Racing prior to his HRT call-up.


Formula One career


Red Bull test driver (2009–2011)

Ricciardo made his track debut at the wheel of a
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
car when he tested for
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...
at the young drivers test at
Circuito de Jerez Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto (formerly known as Circuito de Jerez and Circuito de Velocidad Jerez), is a racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, south of Seville and deep within the sherry-producing region in the ...
over three days, starting on 1 December 2009. 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.
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...
's team manager
Christian Horner Christian Edward Johnston Horner (born 16 November 1973) is a British motorsport executive and former racing driver. Since 2005, Horner has served as team principal and chief executive officer, CEO of Red Bull Racing in Formula One, winning s ...
suggested that Ricciardo may replace his 2010 World Series teammate Hartley as the team's test and reserve driver. Ricciardo and Hartley went on to share test and reserve duties for both Red Bull and sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso until the latter was removed from the Red Bull Junior team. 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 The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is a 5.281 km (3.281 mi) motorsport circuit situated on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke. It has hosted the season-ending Formula One ...
, on 16–17 November. Ricciardo continued to show his one-lap prowess and dominated the event, with his fastest lap being 1.3 seconds faster than World Champion Sebastian Vettel's qualifying lap the Saturday before. Days later, Ricciardo was confirmed as Toro Rosso's test and reserve driver for the season and would take part in the first free practice session of each race weekend. 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 Jaime Víctor Alguersuari Escudero (; born 23 March 1990), also known by his stage name Squire, is a Spanish former racing driver, sports broadcasting, broadcaster and DJ, who competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in Barcelona, Al ...
and
Sébastien Buemi Sébastien Olivier Humbert Buemi (; born 31 October 1988) is a Swiss racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota and in Formula E for Envision. In formula racing, Buemi competed in Formula One from to , and w ...
.


HRT (2011)

On 30 June 2011, Ricciardo was contracted to
Hispania Racing HRT Formula 1 Team, formerly known as Campos Racing, Campos Meta 1 and Hispania Racing, was a Spanish Formula One team founded by former driver Adrián Campos. It was sold to José Ramón Carabante before its debut in 2010 Formula One season ...
by Red Bull Racing, replacing Narain Karthikeyan for the remaining races of the 2011 season (excepting the , to allow Karthikeyan to race at his home Grand Prix). Ricciardo made his Grand Prix debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix at
Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. It is the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted as the 1948 British Grand Prix. The 1950 British Grand ...
. 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 Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...
paid the struggling Spanish team to do, as well as allowing Karthikeyan to race in front of his home fans. In
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
, Ricciardo retired with mechanical problems after starting 20th on the grid, and in the final race at the , Ricciardo finished 20th after starting 22nd on the grid.


Toro Rosso (2012–2013)


2012

On 14 December 2011, it was confirmed that Ricciardo would drive for Scuderia Toro Rosso for the 2012 season, alongside Frenchman Jean-Éric Vergne. At the
Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Gran ...
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. 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. In
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
, he suffered his only retirement of the season, after having started from 15th position. Ricciardo would score points again only after the summer break, at the , where he started from 16th and finished ninth. He also had a run of three consecutive points scores from the
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
to the . He scored one more points finish in
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
for the year, ending tenth. Ricciardo finished 18th in the championship, with 10 points.


2013

Toro Rosso re-signed Ricciardo and Jean-Éric Vergne for the 2013 season. He began the year by not finishing the opening two rounds, both due to exhaust issues. In
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, Ricciardo scored his first points of the year after finishing seventh, claiming his best finish in F1 by far. He finished tenth at the , following a slow start from 11th on the grid. Ricciardo again was unable to finish the after Romain Grosjean crashed into the back of him, damaging his rear wing. At the , Ricciardo had his best qualifying yet in fifth. He finished the race in eighth place. Ricciardo once again finished seventh at the , having held off Grosjean in the dying laps. More tenth places followed at
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and the . 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, replacing fellow countryman Mark Webber. Ricciardo finished 13th in the championship with 20 points.


Red Bull (2014–2018)

Ricciardo replaced Mark Webber at Infiniti Red Bull Racing at the start of the 2014 Formula One season, partnering Sebastian Vettel, a four-time world champion.


2014

In the first race of the season, the , Ricciardo qualified in second place behind
Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
and finished the race in second place, withstanding pressure from rookie
Kevin Magnussen Kevin Jan Magnussen (; born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for W Racing Team, WRT and the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, RLL as a factory driver f ...
in the final laps. Ricciardo was later disqualified, as his car was ruled to have exceeded the mandated hourly fuel flow rate limit. 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 in 1985. Infiniti Red Bull Racing filed an appeal against the disqualification, which was rejected by the International Court of Appeal, the FIA decision being upheld. Ricciardo failed to finish in the , but managed to record his first points of the 2014 season at the , where he finished fourth, after starting in 13th position. He finished fourth again at the . Ricciardo would not wait long for his first podium, securing third place at the .
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
saw Ricciardo qualify in third, behind both Mercedes cars. After dropping to fifth early on, he regained third after problems for teammate Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. He narrowly lost to
Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
to second place by 0.4 seconds. At the , 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. By winning, Ricciardo became the fourth Australian to win a Grand Prix in Formula One, joining
Jack Brabham Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Brabham won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in , and , ...
, Alan Jones and Mark Webber. His victory in Canada broke the chain of six Mercedes victories that marked the beginning of the 2014 season. 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 Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin in Formula One, Aston Martin. Alonso has won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with ...
at the , Alonso described Ricciardo as "unbelievable" and "very, very smart, very respectful". Ricciardo won the on 27 July, ahead of Alonso and Hamilton having started fourth. 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 Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
, 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. His teammate Vettel survived a spin coming onto the main straight late in the race to finish seventh. Ricciardo became the second Australian to win the Hungarian Grand Prix, after Mark Webber's victory – also for Red Bull – in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
. 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 Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Brabham won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in , and , ...
in . Ricciardo finished the in fifth place, after a tense battle with teammate Vettel during the late stages of the race. At the , he qualified third and finished in the same position. On 4 October 2014, it was announced that Ricciardo would partner Daniil Kvyat for the season, following the announcement of Vettel's departure from the team. He took his final podium of the year at the . Ricciardo clinched third place in the World Drivers' Championship at the , after retiring from the race. He was forced to retire on lap 39 due to a broken suspension. In the final race of the season, the , 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. For his 2014 performances, Ricciardo won the Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year in April 2015. Throughout the 2014 season, Ricciardo harnessed a total of 238 points, three wins and five more podiums.


2015

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 The ''Top Gear'' test track located at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, United Kingdom was used by the BBC automotive television programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear''. The track was designed by Lotus Cars as a testing facility, with man ...
during the ''Star in a Reasonably Priced Car'' feature, beating the previous record-holder
Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
with a time of 1:42.2. In 2015, Red Bull slipped behind
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
and Williams in their efforts to take the title fight to Mercedes. The Red Bull cars were held back by the
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
power unit having been out-developed by Mercedes and Ferrari. The RB11 only showed pace in slow and twisty high downforce tracks or rain, highlighting the car's strong chassis. He finished the opening race at the in sixth, the RB11 seemingly uncompetitive as he finished a lap down. Following several points finishes in the first part of the year, Ricciardo's engine blew up on the final lap of the —whilst running in sixth—forcing him to use his fourth and final engine of the year. Ricciardo achieved his first top-five finish in Monaco with fifth and the fastest lap of the race. He had a woeful race at the , where he finished 13th after being hit by car issues. While tussling for second in
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
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. It was his first podium since the 2014 United States Grand Prix. Ricciardo recorded his second podium of the season in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, where he finished second and recorded his third fastest lap of the season. Ricciardo finished the season with 92 points in eighth place in the championship, three points behind teammate Daniil Kvyat. Ricciardo out-qualified Kvyat 14–5, and trailed him 10-9 in races across the season.


2016

In a much more competitive Red Bull, Ricciardo began the season well, finishing 4th in both
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and
Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
and qualifying 2nd and then leading early on in the Chinese Grand Prix before suffering a tyre blowout and finishing in 4th again. Ricciardo qualified third at the Spanish Grand Prix, and after the two Mercedes cars of
Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
and Nico Rosberg crashed out on the first lap, he led the early stages of the race. 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. This dropped him behind Vettel, new teammate
Max Verstappen Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
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. Ricciardo scored his first pole position at the
Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix () is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the wo ...
, and led the early wet stages of the race. 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 Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
and finished the race in 2nd. Ricciardo was notably upset after the race result, saying: "Two weekends in a row I've been screwed now. It sucks. It hurts." A pair of seventh-place finishes followed in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. A fourth place at the would soon come, having been outqualified by a teammate for the first time that year. Ricciardo returned to the podium in
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, finishing third, and in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, where he finished second. On the podium in Germany, Ricciardo performed a new celebration, where he drank champagne out of his shoe. He calls this celebration the " shoey". 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. 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. 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. He then took the lead late on in the race when leader
Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
retired with an engine failure. After fighting with his Red Bull teammate Verstappen, Ricciardo took his first victory of the season. He repeated his "shoey" celebration on the podium and was able to get team boss
Christian Horner Christian Edward Johnston Horner (born 16 November 1973) is a British motorsport executive and former racing driver. Since 2005, Horner has served as team principal and chief executive officer, CEO of Red Bull Racing in Formula One, winning s ...
as well as podium sharers Verstappen and Rosberg to repeat the celebration. He finished third at the . Ricciardo eventually sealed third in the Drivers' Championship following a podium finish in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. 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.


2017

Ricciardo qualified 10th in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
after spinning into the tyre barrier in Q3. 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. In
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, Ricciardo would finish fourth after narrowly losing out to teammate
Max Verstappen Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
on the last lap. Starting fourth at the , and after a poor safety car restart which dropped him three places, he was able to pass
Felipe Massa Felipe Massa (; born 25 April 1981) is a Brazilian racing driver, who competes in the Stock Car Pro Series for TMG Racing, TMG and in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Riley Technologies, Riley. Massa competed in Formula One from to , and w ...
and finish in fifth. He endured a second retirement in four races at the , pulling out on lap 5 due to brake issues. Ricciardo scored his first podium of the year, with third in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, albeit finishing over a minute behind the leaders. This marked the start of five consecutive podiums. He qualified fifth at the , and a strong overcut allowed him to jump Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas for another third place. Yet another third place followed in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
after jumping Kimi Räikkönen, and inheriting positions after Vettel stopped for a front wing change and Verstappen retired. 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 Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
. However, Vettel was due to serve a stop/go penalty while Hamilton pitted due to a loose headrest, promoting Ricciardo into the lead. He would then cross the line and win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, four seconds ahead of Bottas. At
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, Ricciardo got past Räikkönen on the opening lap for third, and held off Hamilton for his fifth podium on the bounce. Ricciardo took a five-place grid penalty for the due to a gearbox change, but he suffered a turbo failure in Q1, relegating to 19th on the grid. In a stunning drive, Ricciardo produced a comeback that saw him climb fourteen places to fifth place. His run of form came to a halt at the , 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. Ricciardo stood on the podium in third place at the , having made up a place on Bottas during the second safety car restart from sixth on the grid. However the next race in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
forced Ricciardo to take additional power unit elements, which necessitated a 20-place grid penalty. He qualified third, but was demoted to 16th. Making yet another drive through the field, Ricciardo performed spectacular overtakes to end in fourth place. In
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, from third, He would inherit second at the start after a multi-car shunt, which was where he would finish.
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
delivered another podium in third place, after front-row starter Räikkönen was unable to take the start, and secured third again in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. This was followed by consecutive retirements in
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. At the , Ricciardo took another engine penalty that relegated him to 14th on the grid. 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. After maintaining fourth in the drivers' championship for much of the season, a third retirement in the last four races at
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
saw Ricciardo drop down to fifth in the championship, with 200 points, five points behind Räikkönen. Ricciardo had scored one win, one fastest lap and nine podiums.


2018

Ricciardo started the season with a fourth-place in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, from eighth on the grid after a three-place penalty for speeding under red flag conditions. In
Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
, he recorded a non-finish after an electrical failure on the second lap. 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. Running sixth for majority of the race, he and teammate
Max Verstappen Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
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. At the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in fourth. He was fighting for fourth with teammate
Max Verstappen Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
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. Following the race, Horner stated that both drivers were ordered to "apologise" at the Red Bull factory. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished fifth and set the track record, after spinning under the virtual safety car. 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. 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. In the race, Ricciardo managed to hold off the
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
of Sebastian Vettel to take his first
Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix () is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the wo ...
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. His result would lift him to third in the standings, but his win would turn out to be his last podium of the season. He was set for a grid penalty at the due to his damaged MGU-K, but Red Bull opted to re-use his other from China. Starting sixth, After jumping Kimi Räikkönen at the start, a successful overcut on
Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
brought him to fourth place at the finish. Front wing damage mid-race limited progress in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, as he was passed by Räikkönen late in the race which demoted him out of the podium positions, eventually settling for fourth again. More disappointment came on his birthday weekend at , retiring with an exhaust failure on lap 54. An uncompetitive weekend followed at the , finishing fifth after a DRS failure in qualifying. He started the from the back of the grid after changing power unit components, but suffered yet another engine failure during the race. Bad luck continue to befall Ricciardo in
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, as a spin for Lance Stroll early in a wet session prevented him from completing a clean lap, knocking him out in Q2. 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. On 3 August, Ricciardo announced his shock departure from Red Bull at the end of 2018. Ricciardo would suffer consecutive retirements in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, being caught up in a first-lap incident in the former and sustaining a clutch issue in the latter. This was followed by two sixth places in succession, the latter race at the saw Ricciardo start at the back for a third time due to engine penalties. At the , 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. Fortunately, Ricciardo replicated his Hungary drive and pushed all the way to fourth place. Later in the season, he tied for the most retirements in the 2018 season, with 8 retirements in total. At the , Ricciardo outqualified Verstappen for the first time since Monaco in fifth, the Dutchman endured suspension issues. However, his run of mechanical retirements hit him on lap 9, pulling over with a battery failure. Ricciardo secured pole at the ahead of teammate Verstappen by a mere 0.027 seconds. 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. An engine penalty in
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
dropped him to 11th, and narrowly missed the podium to Räikkönen by 0.4 seconds in another stunning charge. Ricciardo finished fourth again at the season-ending after a wrong strategy meant he finished fourth again. 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.


Renault (2019–2020)


2019

On 3 August 2018, it was announced that Ricciardo had signed a contract to drive for
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
in 2019 and 2020. His teammate for the 2019 season was
Nico Hülkenberg Nicolas Hülkenberg (, born 19 August 1987) is a German racing driver who competes in Formula One for Sauber. In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Hülkenberg won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2015 with Por ...
. Ricciardo had a poor start to the season with retirements in the first two races, from front wing damage in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and power failure in
Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
, having run well in the points in the latter race. A first Q3 appearance in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
followed, before driving to his first points finish with Renault in seventh place. In
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, 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. Six consecutive race finishes followed, he finished 13th at the after a questionable race strategy. He had his best qualifying thus far with sixth in
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
, but a late call to pit before the safety car, dropped to ninth at the flag. Ricciardo had a successful weekend in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, improving his personal best qualifying position to fourth. He proceeded to finish in sixth place, having held off a faster Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas for numerous laps. Ricciardo crossed the line in seventh place at the 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. After a perplexing race in
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, Ricciardo started and finished seventh at the . He then suffered an exhaust failure at the
German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix () was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history: the Nürburgring in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hockenheimring in B ...
. More woes followed in Hungarian as he suffered a disastrous Q1 exit, and was then stuck behind
Kevin Magnussen Kevin Jan Magnussen (; born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for W Racing Team, WRT and the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, RLL as a factory driver f ...
's Haas throughout the latter half of the race. Ricciardo took a five-place grid penalty at the due to a new engine, demoting him to tenth on the grid. A collision at the start with Lance Stroll caused significant damage to his car, seeing him fall to 14th place. At the
Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix () is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, motor racing Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been held since 1921 ...
, Ricciardo qualified fifth, and a spin for Sebastian Vettel during the race meant Ricciardo finished in fourth place, his best result of the year. Hülkenberg finished in fifth, contributing to Renault's best finish since the team returned to the sport in . Ricciardo qualified eighth for the but was disqualified due to exceeding the MGU-K power limit during Q1, relegating him to the back. 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. Ricciardo was involved in a first-lap collision in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, leading to his eventual retirement. Ricciardo charged from 16th to sixth place in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
after an excellent final stint. However, both Renault cars were disqualified ten days later for using illegal driver aids. From 13th in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, Ricciardo finished in eighth place having pressured Sergio Pérez's Racing Point towards the end. He would follow this with sixth-place finishes in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, making contact with
Kevin Magnussen Kevin Jan Magnussen (; born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for W Racing Team, WRT and the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, RLL as a factory driver f ...
during the latter, in which Ricciardo sustained front wing damage and earned a five-second time penalty. He wrapped up with 11th place at the . Ricciardo ended a relatively disappointing season for Renault in ninth place in the championship, with 54 points, ahead of teammate Hülkenberg.


2020

Ricciardo had a new teammate for the 2020 season, with Hülkenberg being replaced by Esteban Ocon. Ricciardo started the season with a retirement at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix after his Renault R.S.20 overheated on lap 16. After qualifying ninth for the , Ricciardo was running in sixth place with two laps remaining, but was overtaken by Lance Stroll and Lando Norris. In a close battle towards the end, he finished the race in eighth. Ricciardo qualified eleventh at the and finished the race in eighth place. At the , Ricciardo qualified in eighth. Ricciardo finished in fourth place, gaining two positions in the final laps after overtaking Lando Norris and then Carlos Sainz Jr. sustaining a puncture. 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, but spun midway through the race and finished 14th. Ricciardo qualified thirteenth and finished eleventh at the next race in Spain. Ricciardo would go on an eleven race point-scoring streak until the end of the season, starting with the , where he qualified in an impressive fourth. After a challenge on
Max Verstappen Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
, he would secure his fourth place, as well as taking the fastest lap on the last lap of the race. At the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, he qualified seventh and finished in sixth place. At the , he qualified eighth and was able to move up to fourth, eventually jumping Lance Stroll to run in third place. 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. At the , Ricciardo was fastest in the second qualifying segment, and managed to qualify in fifth place. In the race, he finished in fifth place following a five-second penalty for violating track limits when he overtook teammate Ocon. At the , Ricciardo qualified sixth and quickly made his way to fourth place in the early laps. After Bottas ahead retired, Ricciardo would eventually secure third, earning the team's first podium since the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. This was Ricciardo's first podium since joining Renault, and his first since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. In the next race, the , he started tenth after having a crash towards the end of the second segment of qualifying, damaging his rear wing. He finished ninth in the race, describing it as "damage limitation". At the , Ricciardo again impressed with fifth in qualifying. 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. At the , Ricciardo started fifth again, 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. In the , he started sixth and overtook Valtteri Bottas on the first lap. 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. At the , after qualifying seventh, he had a chance of a podium after
Charles Leclerc Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
, Verstappen, and Pérez all collided in the first lap of the race. But a mistimed second pit stop caused Ricciardo to be overtaken, ending the race in fifth place. In his final race for Renault at the , he qualified twelfth; however, a good first stint allowed him to exit the pits in seventh place. He also took the fastest lap of the race on the final lap. He finished in fifth place in the championship standings with 119 points, six points behind Pérez in fourth.


McLaren (2021–2022)


2021

After two years at Renault, Ricciardo joined
McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
for the
2021 Formula One World Championship The 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship was a List of motorsport championships, motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the Fédération Internat ...
as a replacement for Carlos Sainz Jr., who had signed a multi-year deal with Ferrari. He partnered with Lando Norris, who was retained by the team. He qualified sixth for his first race with the team at the . 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. At the following race, the , he qualified sixth once again. 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, and he eventually finished the race in sixth. At the , Ricciardo started from sixteenth after being shockingly knocked out during the first phase of qualifying. He recovered to ninth during the race, after a pass on Sainz late in the race. At the , Ricciardo qualified seventh, 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. In the following round of the season, the , 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. A crash in qualifying at the meant Ricciardo started the race in thirteenth, though he was able to climb up into the points during the race and finished ninth. At the , Ricciardo finished in sixth position having held off Pierre Gasly at the end. Ricciardo qualified thirteenth at the . 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. At the , Ricciardo finished seventh after starting thirteenth. The 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 Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin in Formula One, Aston Martin. Alonso has won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with ...
in the closing stages. Starting the Grand Prix from sixth, Ricciardo benefited from
Max Verstappen Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
's retirement to finish in fifth place, after holding off Sainz in the closing laps. This was his first top five finish at McLaren. The final race before the summer break, the 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. Upon returning from the summer break, Ricciardo qualified fourth for the 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. The following weekend at the , 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. Ricciardo qualified in fifth at the next race, the , 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 Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
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. At the , Ricciardo qualified fifth on the grid, behind his teammate Lando Norris who was on pole position. Despite a slow first pit stop, a late rain shower in the final few laps saw Ricciardo pit for intermediate tyres and work his way up to fourth place. At the , 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, calling the race as "pretty painful". At the , Ricciardo qualified seventh, ahead of teammate Norris, 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. At the , Ricciardo qualified in seventh place, splitting the two Ferraris. Ricciardo made a blistering start and was alongside Pérez for fourth place heading into turn one. Afterwards, he had a small lockup and made contact with Valtteri Bottas at turn one, causing him to lose 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. At the , 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. At the , Ricciardo was knocked out in Q2, qualifying 14th, and could only manage 12th in the race after fuel issues hindered his opportunity to progress. Ricciardo managed to end his pointless streak at the penultimate race in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
. 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. At the final race of the season in
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
, Ricciardo managed to qualify in tenth place. He then finished 12th after he was overcut by
Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin in Formula One, Aston Martin. Alonso has won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with ...
and Pierre Gasly as a result of a virtual safety car. He ended the
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
in eighth place in the drivers standings, scoring 115 points with just one podium, his race win at
Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
.


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. In the opening season race at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Australian qualified down in 18th, and finished the race in 14th ahead of his teammate Norris in 15th, due to a lack of pace and three driver retirements. At the , Ricciardo qualified 12th, but was penalised three place after impeding Esteban Ocon. He was running in ninth following the pit stops, but he brought out the virtual safety car on lap 35 after his McLaren stopped at the pit lane exit due to an engine failure. At the
Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Gran ...
, Ricciardo managed to qualify in seventh place, which was his first Q3 appearance of the year. He then went on to finish in sixth place behind his teammate Norris in his home Grand Prix. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Ricciardo qualified in sixth place for the sprint race on that Saturday, where he managed to maintain his position 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, which damaged Ricciardo's front wing. At the end of the race, Ricciardo finished in last place, while teammate Norris finished on the podium. At the
Miami Grand Prix The Miami Grand Prix is a Formula One Grand Prix which was held for the first time during the season, with the event taking place at the Miami International Autodrome which is located around the grounds and private facilities of Hard Rock Stadi ...
, Ricciardo qualified 14th after a car issue during Q2. He then endured a painful and finished in 13th place after his teammate retired. After making it to Q3 and qualifying ninth for the , Ricciardo failed to score points once again, as his slow pace meant he finished twelfth. In the build up to the
Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix () is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the wo ...
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 icciardo'sor our expectations." There, he had a big shunt during the second practice at the Swimming Pool section, before going on to qualify fourteenth the next day. He struggled during the race and finished in thirteenth place. Starting 13th for the , Ricciardo finished eighth following team orders for Norris not to pass him. He then failed to score points in the Canadian Grand Prix as he finished in 11th place, despite qualifying ninth. At the , Ricciardo qualified 14th and could only finish the race one place higher in 13th after a DRS failure forced him into an additional extra pit stop mid-race. Ricciardo then scored two ninth placed results in
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. Qualifying ninth for the , he even ran ahead of the Alpines following the pit stops, but eventually finished 15th having received a five-second penalty for colliding with Lance Stroll during the race. In August 2022, McLaren and Ricciardo terminated his contract a year early, by mutual agreement. Ricciardo's disappointing performances continued following the summer break at the Belgian and s, as he failed to score points once more by finishing in 15th and 17th respectively. At the , Ricciardo qualified eighth, but was promoted to fourth on the grid following grid penalties. Having run in the top 3 on the opening lap, he was eventually passed by the front-running cars before settling in eighth place. However, his race then concluded on lap 45 due to an oil leak. Ricciardo started down in 16th at the , but in a race of attrition, he went on to finish in fifth place, which proved to be his best performance of the season. Following qualifying of the , Ricciardo announced that he would not be on the grid for the 2023 Formula One season. Starting eleventh for that race, Ricciardo finished the wet race in the same position. Another poor showing came at the where he finished in 16th place. At the Mexico City Grand Prix, Ricciardo started 11th, but managed to finish in seventh place after a late charge on the soft tyres. This was despite a ten-second penalty after colliding with
Yuki Tsunoda is a Japanese racing driver who competes in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Born in Sagamihara and raised in Tokyo, Tsunoda began competitive kart racing aged nine. Supported by Honda since 2016 through the , Tsunoda graduated to junior formu ...
on lap 42. Ricciardo was involved in another collision at the as he tagged
Kevin Magnussen Kevin Jan Magnussen (; born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for W Racing Team, WRT and the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, RLL as a factory driver f ...
into a spin on the opening lap, before being collected by the spinning Magnussen, taking both drivers out of the race. Ricciardo was later awarded with a three-place grid drop for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He would finish the race in ninth place after fending off Sebastian Vettel in the final laps. Ricciardo ended the season eleventh in the Drivers' Championship with 37 points. Ricciardo's struggles to score points in 2022 were seen as factor in McLaren losing their battle with Alpine for fourth place in the Constructors' Championship with the Australian having scored 85 less points over the 2022 season than team mate Norris.


Red Bull reserve driver (2023)

Having been replaced at
McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
by his Australian compatriot Oscar Piastri for the 2023 season, Ricciardo elected to rejoin
Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...
as their "third driver". The role saw him complete reserve driver duties, engaging in:
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
, simulator and factory work, and communications support during race weekends. Ricciardo also drove the RB19 in the
Pirelli Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is an Italian multinational tyre manufacturer based in the city of Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Borsa Italiana since 1922, is the 5th-largest tyre manufacturer, and is focused on the consumer pro ...
tests held in July at
Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
after the .


AlphaTauri / RB (2023–2024)


2023

After Nyck de Vries was released from his AlphaTauri seat in July 2023, 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 is a Japanese racing driver who competes in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Born in Sagamihara and raised in Tokyo, Tsunoda began competitive kart racing aged nine. Supported by Honda since 2016 through the , Tsunoda graduated to junior formu ...
.
Christian Horner Christian Edward Johnston Horner (born 16 November 1973) is a British motorsport executive and former racing driver. Since 2005, Horner has served as team principal and chief executive officer, CEO of Red Bull Racing in Formula One, winning s ...
later confirmed that Ricciardo was signed as a potential replacement for Sergio Pérez at the parent team. 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. 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. Ricciardo had a better performance in the sprint shootout, qualifying 11th for the shorter race and finishing 10th. In the main race, Ricciardo finished 16th while Tsunoda earned a point with 10th. During the second free practice of the
Dutch Grand Prix The Dutch Grand Prix () is an annual Formula One World Championship auto racing event, held at Circuit Zandvoort, North Holland, the Netherlands, from 1950 through 1985, and after a 35 year hiatus, from 2021 to 2026. It has been a part of the ...
, Ricciardo broke a
metacarpal bone In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus, also known as the "palm bones", are the appendicular bones that form the intermediate part of the hand between the phalanges (fingers) and the carpal bones ( wrist bones), which articulate ...
in his hand in seven places, preventing him from competing for the rest of the weekend. Liam Lawson replaced Ricciardo, making his F1 debut. Riccardo's injury forced him to miss the next four rounds in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
with Lawson replacing him for all 4 of those races but he returned for the
United States Grand Prix The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
. There, he experienced a car return in his return, as he struggled on his way to finishing last in 15th place. Ricciardo qualified a season-best fourth for the Mexico City Grand Prix. He went on to finish the race in seventh position after a late attack on George Russell, giving Ricciardo his first points as well as AlphaTauri's best finish of the season. At the , Ricciardo made into SQ3 of the sprint shooutout and after a fierce battle with Carlos Sainz Jr. in the sprint, he narrowly missed out on points with ninth place. In the main race, Ricciardo's rear wing was hit by a flying tyre, causing it to break. Despite successfully repairing it under the red flag, he was forced to start a lap down and was eventually classified 13th at the flag. A tough weekend at the followed where Ricciardo was only able to make up one place from his starting position to finish in 14th. Starting 15th for the , he missed out on points once again as he was short of catching Lance Stroll for tenth by less than a second. Ricciardo finished the season 17th in the drivers' standings, with the six points from Mexico the only points scored throughout the year.


2024

AlphaTauri, which was renamed to RB for the season, retained Ricciardo alongside Tsunoda. At the season-opening , Ricciardo qualified in 14th position. He finished the race in 13th place, having swapped positions with Tsunoda in an attempt to overtake
Kevin Magnussen Kevin Jan Magnussen (; born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for W Racing Team, WRT and the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, RLL as a factory driver f ...
in 12th in the last six laps. At the , Ricciardo faced a disappointing weekend, qualifying in 14th and finishing the race in 16th, including spinning on his own on the last lap. At the , Ricciardo qualified in 18th position, after having his last qualifying lap deleted for exceeding track limits, marking his first Q1 elimination at his home. Ricciardo improved in the race, finishing in 12th place. At the , Ricciardo made it to 11th position in qualifying, missing Q3 by 0.055 seconds behind his teammate Tsunoda. However, he retired on the opening lap after colliding with Alex Albon at the S-curves, leading to both drivers hitting the barriers. The stewards deemed it a racing incident due to circumstances that involved the
Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC () is a British manufacturer of Luxury car, luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Headed from 1947 by David Brown (entrepreneur ...
of Lance Stroll in the turn. In the first sprint race of the season in the Chinese Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished in 11th from his qualified position of 14th. He retired in the main race at the end of the safety car period in lap 26 after being collided in his rear-end by Lance Stroll as the two were entering turn 14. In a post-race interview, Ricciardo criticised Stroll for not paying attention and taking responsibility for the collision. After the race, Ricciardo was given a three-place grid penalty for the
Miami Grand Prix The Miami Grand Prix is a Formula One Grand Prix which was held for the first time during the season, with the event taking place at the Miami International Autodrome which is located around the grounds and private facilities of Hard Rock Stadi ...
after stewards found he had overtaken the Haas of
Nico Hülkenberg Nicolas Hülkenberg (, born 19 August 1987) is a German racing driver who competes in Formula One for Sauber. In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Hülkenberg won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2015 with Por ...
under the safety car. In
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, Ricciardo qualified fourth for 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 Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
. For the main race, Ricciardo qualified in 18th due to a lack of grip, and finished in 15th position. Ricciardo progressed to Q3 for the first time at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, securing ninth on the grid. After a poor start, Ricciardo slowly dropped down the order and finished in 13th place. A quiet weekend followed at the as he finished in 12th place, behind Tsunoda once again. At the , amidst criticism from World Champion
Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (; born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in IndyCar from 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1994 to 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1995, and Formula One from to . Villeneuve won t ...
of why Ricciardo was "still in F1", he stunned with fifth in qualifying. Despite a five-second penalty for a jump start, Ricciardo earned his first Grand Prix points as he secured eighth place. RB struggled at the , leading to Ricciardo suffering a Q1 exit and finishing down in 15th place. He barely missed out on Q3 by 0.015s at the , but he returned to the points with ninth place after an early pit stop proved successful. Ricciardo made it to Q3 and qualified ninth for the , but a poor pit stop strategy meant that he was stuck in traffic following the pit stops and thus dropped to 12th at the flag. At the , Ricciardo finished in 11th place, but was promoted to the final points-paying position after the disqualification of race winner George Russell. Despite a mediocre first half of the season, RB opted to retain Ricciardo following the summer break. He then finished the next three races in 13th, most notably at the where opening lap contact with
Nico Hülkenberg Nicolas Hülkenberg (, born 19 August 1987) is a German racing driver who competes in Formula One for Sauber. In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Hülkenberg won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2015 with Por ...
and time penalties hampered serious chances of points. At the , speculation arose as to whether Ricciardo would be dropped from the team following the race. There, he endured a frustrating qualifying, lining up 16th on the grid. He finished the race in 18th place whilst setting the fastest lap on the penultimate lap, later being seen emotional post-race after admitting that " tcould be my last Grand Prix". A few days later, Ricciardo was released by RB and was replaced by Liam Lawson at the following onward. Jake Boxall-Legge of ''
Autosport ''Autosport'' is a global motorsport publishing brand headquartered based in Richmond, London, England. It was established in 1950 at the same time as the origins of the Formula One, Formula One World Championship. Autosport began life as a we ...
'' later branded his move back to the Red Bull stable a "waste of time" once Lawson was promoted to the parent team. Ricciardo finished the season 17th in the standings, with 12 points.


Driver profile


Driving style

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.


Public image

Ricciardo was regarded as one of the most prominent names in Formula One, known for his laid back nature and smile, with ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' 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." His personal profile grew with the success of the reality show '' Drive to Survive'', where he has been called "the face of the show". After the 2021 season, Ricciardo was appointed a
Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for "significant service to motor sport as a competitor and ambassador, and to the community". Ricciardo is often referred to as "the
honey badger The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only living species in both the genus ''Mellivora'' and the subfami ...
" referencing his racing style, explaining how " '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."


Personal life

Ricciardo pronounces his surname "Ricardo" () instead of the Italian pronunciation (, with a "ch"-sound), attributing this to the way it was usually pronounced growing up in Australia and by his family. Growing up as a fan of
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
driver
Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional Stock car racing, stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Serie ...
, Ricciardo adopted the number 3 as his racing number in Earnhardt's honour. Ricciardo supports the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
's
West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and first competed in 1987 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known ...
and was the club's number-one ticket holder in 2015 and 2016. He is also a UFC fan and, during the course of his Formula 1 career, developed an affinity for the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
of the National Football League. He supports
Big Bash League The Big Bash League (BBL), also known as the KFC Big Bash League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Australia. Established in 2011 by Cricket Australia, the Big Bash League replaced the previous competitio ...
team the
Melbourne Stars Melbourne Stars are an Australian Twenty20 franchise cricket team, based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in Australia's Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. The Stars wear a green uniform and play their home matches at the Melbou ...
, as childhood friend and Australian cricketer Marcus Stoinis represents the team. He is in a relationship with Heidi Berger, the daughter of former F1 driver Gerhard Berger.


Awards and honours


Formula One

* Lorenzo Bandini Trophy: 2014


Other awards

* Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year: 2015 * ''
GQ Australia ''GQ Australia'' is an Australian lifestyle publication and the Australian version of men's magazine ''GQ''. Published by NewsLifeMedia, a division of News Corp Australia, the print and digital men's title offers advice, news and features acros ...
'' Sportsman of the Year: 2014 * Confartigianato Motori Driver of the Year: 2014, 2018 * BRDC Bruce McLaren Trophy: 2013, 2014, 2016 * BRDC Innes Ireland Trophy: 2014, 2015


Orders and special awards

* **
Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
(
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
)


Special awards

* Confartigianato Motori Legend of F1 Award: 2024


Karting record


Karting career summary


Racing record


Racing career summary


Complete Formula BMW Asia results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Italia results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Formula Renault 2.0 WEC results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete British Formula 3 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


Complete Macau Grand Prix results


Complete Formula One results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) 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.


Notes


See also

* Formula One drivers from Australia


References


Further reading

*


External links

* * *
Profile
at ''Formula1.com'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ricciardo, Daniel 1989 births Australian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco Australian Formula One drivers Australian people of Calabrian descent Australian people of Italian descent Sportspeople of Italian descent Australian people of Sicilian descent British Formula Three Championship drivers Formula 3 Euro Series drivers Formula BMW Asia drivers Formula BMW UK drivers Formula Ford drivers Formula One race winners Formula Renault 2.0 WEC drivers Formula Renault Eurocup drivers HRT Formula One drivers Italian Formula Renault 2.0 drivers Laureus World Sports Awards winners Living people McLaren Formula One drivers Members of the Order of Australia People educated at Newman College, Perth Red Bull Formula One drivers Renault Formula One drivers Racing drivers from Perth, Western Australia Toro Rosso Formula One drivers World Series Formula V8 3.5 drivers Eurasia Motorsport drivers Motaworld Racing drivers Fortec Motorsport drivers RP Motorsport drivers SG Formula drivers Carlin racing drivers Tech 1 Racing drivers ISR Racing drivers Racing drivers from Western Australia AlphaTauri Formula One drivers RB Formula One drivers 21st-century Australian sportsmen