The demise of Daniel Ricciardo over the past three Formula One seasons has been painful to watch. The Red Bull heir to the throne when Sebastian Vettel left for Ferrari saw his best days in F1 when he was racing with the Milton Keynes based squad.

The loveable Aussie with his huge grin and big personality has been adored by F1 fans the world alike and his inclusion in the V-CARB team this year was reportedly pressed by the new team’s title sponsor Visa Cash App. Yet Ricciardo did not match up to his team mate Yuki Tsunoda and with six races remaining he was replaced by Liam Lawson.

Ricciardo, a product of the Red Bull academy, made his F1 debut in Jerez testing for three day end of season test in Jerez 2009. He clocked the fastest time by over a second turning the head of Christian Horner who suggested he might replace Hartley as the team’s test driver the following season.

 

 

 

Ricciardo breaks into F1

At the 2010 end of season test, Ricciardo was listed as the only driver to represent the team at the two days test in Abu Dhabi. He clocked a lap 1.3 seconds quicker than world champion Sebastian Vettel’s pole time three days earlier. Yet Ricciardo couldn’t break into the Toro Rosso team who were running Jamie Alguersauri and Sebastian Buemi for a second year in a row.

Daniel’s big F1 break came in 2011 where at the British Grand Prix he replaced Narain Karthikeyan in the back of the grid HRT team. The following year, Toro Rosso had a clean out and Ricciardo was given a full time drive alongside Jean-Eric Vergne. On debut in the Australian GP, Ricciardo was running in tenth but on the final lap pulled a move on his team mate to claim his first drivers’ championship points.

The two years the pair partnered at Toro Rosso were not the finest for the Red Bull junior team as they finished only ahead of the three underfunded minnows who had joined F1 back in 2010. Things began to click for Ricciardo during the 2013 season as he delivered a qualifying lap which saw him start the Brazil GP in with place – he finished the race in eighth. A P7 in Italy and more points finishes in India together with his whopping 30-7 crushing victory over Vergne in qualifying over their two seasons together, earned Daniel the right to replace the retiring Mark Webber alongside Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel was of course the reigning quadruple world champion but the switch to V6 Turbo power units appeared to floor the German. Ricciardo won his maiden GP in Canada becoming only the fourth Australian ever to stand on the top step of there podium. His alumni included Sir Jack Brabham, Alan jones and Mark Webber.

Red Bull “afraid” to hold post test media session

 

 

 

The Aussie sees off four times F1 champ

In a year dominated by the superior Mercedes power unit, back to back victories in Hungary and Belgium cemented Ricciaord as the number one driver ahead of Vettel. He finished third in the drivers title race, crushing the German champion by 238-167 despite having one less classified finish.

Vettel realising he couldn’t compete with Red Bull’s star young gun high tailed it out of the Milton Keynes gloom to pastures new in Norther Italy. The Red Bull car for 2015 suffered from a significant lack of performance from its Renault power unit and the team slumped to fourth and Ricciardo to eight.

The following year saw Red Bull ditch Daniil Kvyat after just four races as they promoted their new hot shot Max Verstappen. Ricciardo again finished third that year beating his team mate, a feat he would repeat again the following season.

As it turned out the 2018 season would prove pivotal in Daniel’s F1 career as Max Verstappen now in his third season in F1 began to deliver the results his skills had promised. Wins in China and Monaco saw the Aussie ahead in the early part of the season, although six retirements across the second half of the year meant Max was triumphant amongst the Red Bull pair.

Sainz candid about the state of the Williams car

 

 

 

The secret to Daniel’s speed

The moment which changed Ricciardo’s career appeared to come in the fourth round of the year in Azerbaijan. Daniel qualified in fourth and was fighting his team mate during the latter part of the race. On lap 40 the pair collided in spectacular fashion at the end of the long straight as it seemed the Australian misjudged the pace he was closing in on Verstappen.

While Christian Horner blamed both drivers after the race stating they were ordered to “apologise” at the Red Bull factory, the mood music appeared to favour Verstappen and blame Ricciardo. On 3 August, Ricciardo announced his shock departure from Red Bull at the end of 2018 to leave for McLaren, a move Christian Horner later claimed he would regret.

His two years with Renault saw him easily beat his team mates, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon before announcing a move to replace Carlos Sainz at McLaren who had been offered a drive with Ferrari.

Daniel Ricciardo’s successo in F1 was of course based on his lightening speed, but crucial to this was his style of braking. Veteran F1 driver and commentator Martin Brundle dubbed him “the last of the late, great brakers” as week in and out he would pull spectacular overtakes on his unsuspecting victims.

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Wolff explains braking issues

In his first season he struggled to match the pace of Lando Norris, but his points tally was reasonable given the British driver was in his third year with the  team. Come 2022 and the all new ground effect cars and everything changed for the Honey Badger.

The new cars which created downforce in a completely different fashion appeared to flummox Ricciardo who regular lost it under braking. This problem has plagued Lewis Hamilton too as the centre of pressure moves much more rapidly from the rear to the front of the car under braking.

As Hamilton describes this creates the feeling that the driver is sitting too far forward and lacks confidence in the car underneath him. Ahead of his final race to Mercedes in Abu Dhabi, team boss Toto Wolff explained in Qatar Hamilton’s driving style has exacerbated his struggles with the W15 car, which is unable to handle his late-braking technique.

“I think one of his strengths is always how he’s able to brake late and attack the corner – and that car can’t take it. And then, when there’s like today where the grip comes in, that phenomenon is even more articulated and makes it even worse for him.”

Verstappen defends criticism of Christian Horner

 

 

 

New 2026 cars have reduced ground effect

Ricciardo has suffered similar since the introduction of the new ground effect car design in 2022, but there is good news on the horizon for his legion of fans. The 2026 car design regulations are now finalised and the FIA has sought to reduce the amount downforce the underside of the cars deliver.

A significant part of the aero will be returned to the top of the car thus reducing the need to run them so low – which then induces “porpoising” and “bouncing.” The side effect of this will see the effect of the centre of pressure significantly reduced and drivers who brake in the fashion of Ricciardo and Hamilton, and even Perez with his trail braking style will feel the car more stable under braking meaning they are quicker through the corners.

A number of parties have been competing for Ricciardo’s signature since the left V_CARB in the autumn. Aussi V8’s and NASCAR have been public with their interest. Last week Toyota Gazzo went public saying they’d break the bank to sign up the Australian but reports now suggest there will be a return to F1 for the loveable Aussie.

The organisers of the recently announced Genesis WEC Hypercar project have expressed an interest in Ricciardo for their entry in 2026. “I would have loved to have Danny,” Hyundai Motor Group CCO Luc Donckerwolke told Speedcafe.

FIA tweak 2026 F1 car design regs just days before F1 teams begin work

 

 

 

Ricciardo to Cadillac claims

“I met him in LA in late 2017, I think, and I find his aura… he’s a perfect brand ambassador.

“So we looked at it and then we said ‘okay, he’s still bound for 2025 to Red Bull until the end of the season and then now we heard about his commitment … Cadillac in Formula 1, which is great.”

Ricciardo is a hit in the USA following his staring roles in drive to survive and for Cadillac such a high profile driver would announce their arrival in F1 in style. Daniel will be 36 years of age come the 2026 season, which for F1 drivers is not old.

His return would delight fans, commentators and sponsors alike, but for now Cadillac have remained tight lipped about their proposed driver pairing. With ground effect tamed, it could be we see Daniel Ricciardo return to something like his old form and with brand new regulations nobody knows which team will nail them and come out on top.

McLaren owes its team championship to Alonso

 

 

 

 

Hamilton performance concern as Ferrari admit future talks with Sainz

Carlos Sainz and Ferrari: Is a future reunion possible? A possible return to Ferrari for Carlos Sainz has not been ruled out, with team boss Frédéric Vasseur confirming recent discussions about the prospect. In an ever-evolving F1 landscape where the pool of top drivers is limited, such a reunion remains a possibility in the coming years.

Speaking to *DAZN* in Abu Dhabi, Vasseur shed light on the nature of F1’s interconnected ecosystem. “It’s a very small world. There are only ten teams and only six or seven top drivers. You never know what will happen in the future,”explained the Frenchman. He stressed that while both Sainz and Ferrari need to focus on their respective projects at the moment, the long-term future is always uncertain…. READ MORE