Daniel Ricciardo and Formula 1, it seems well and truly over. The smiling Australian was replaced at Visa Cash App RB par Liam Lawson for the remainder of the 2024 season, due to a lack of results that meet expectations. At 35 years old, Honey Badger will he manage to bounce back again in the premier discipline or in another competition? While waiting to see him again one day on the circuits, Sports Car invites you to (re)discover the some nice cars from his personal garage.
Daniel Ricciardo and cars: from Toyota Hilux to Porsche 918 Spyder
Like some of his colleagues like Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso or Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo cultivated a particular taste for beautiful cars, if possible fast like the single-seaters he drove on circuits.
It is true that the Australian has always had the means to achieve his ambitions with a salary that has long been among the highest on the board, although his emoluments were reduced between his passage from Renault to McLaren until its sawtooth return in the famille Red Bull / AlphaTauri / Visa Cash App.
As you will see in our slideshowthe Ricciardo’s “garage” made in diversity. If he obtained his driving license behind the wheel of the Mini Cooper S of his father, the first car he owned was a Toyota Hilux.
As he rose through the ranks of motorsport, Honey Badger naturally saw his bank account thicken, enough to move upmarket. He thus possessed, pell-mell, a Porsche 918 Spydera Aston Martin Vantage V12 and one McLaren 675LTwithout forgetting a more modest, but no less efficient, Renault Mégane RS When he did not opt for a Kadjar SUV for more relaxed journeys between his home and the Enstone factory during his lease at Renault, now Alpine.
Daniel Ricciardo: between “circuit terror” and F1 superstar
Overtaken by emotion on several occasions at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix, the now ex-F1 driver seemed already set on his short-term future in the discipline. All that was missing was an official announcement, which came the following Thursday Marina Bay. At the time of writing these lines, no one knows his future plans yet.
“I have loved this sport all my life,” he reacted on Instagram following the Racing Bulls press release. “It’s an incredible and wonderful journey. To the teams and individuals who played their part, thank you. To the fans who love this sport sometimes more than me, haha, thank you. There will always be ups and downs, but it It’s fun and, to be honest, I wouldn’t change it. Until the next adventure.”
After having climbed the ladder of promotion formulas, notably the Formula Renault and the Formula 3Ricciardo arrives in F1 through the back door in 2021 at HRT before joining Red Bullwhere his burst of speed and remarkable performances earned him a promotion within the parent team Red Bull. 2014 is here season of revelation when he aligns podiums and victories and rushes the departure of Sebastian Vettelfreshly quadruple world champion.
The one who earns the nickname Honey Badger imposes itself not only on the circuits, at the cost of daring overtaking and sometimes aggressive style which earned him the respect of his peers, but also of F1 fans. “Smile Colgate“, coolnessdevastating humor: Ricciardo becomes the F1 coqueluche and one of its best ambassadors with Lewis Hamilton.
In 2019, he joins Renault for two seasons. At the wheel of a car less lively than his Red Bull, he nevertheless signed several podiums before arrive at McLaren in 2021 alongside Lando Norris. Unfortunately, the mayonnaise does not take and despite memorable victory at the Italian Grand Prixhe left the ship after two campaigns.
Back in the Red Bull family, but as the third man, he gets a chance to relaunch himself in replacing Nick de Vries at AlphaTauri in 2023. Unfortunately, a hand injury sustained after going off the track during free practice for the Dutch Grand Prix cost him five races and allows his future successor to impress.
Back at a slow trot, the Australian still suffers from the comparison with his youngest teammate Yuki Tsunoda to whom he grants ten units until the evening of Singapore and the decision taken by Red Bull / Racing Bulls to dismiss him in favor of Lawson.
Daniel Ricciardo therefore leaves Formula 1 after 257 starts, eight victories, three pole positions and 32 podiums. So long, Honey Badgerand thank you!
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