By 
DANIEL RICCIARDO’S TIME in F1 has had its ups and downs, but no matter what, it has always been entertaining to watch. The man known as the Honey Badger is indisputably the most likeable guy on the grid, endearing himself to fans of all teams and drivers with his outgoing personality and ability to always have a smile on his face. Of course, Ricciardo is much more than an implacable grin. He’s also a brilliant driver, tallying eight wins over his F1 career and finishing third in the driver’s championship on two occasions.
But all that matters for naught in the cutthroat world of F1 racing, where a bad spell of form can see a talented driver condemned to the doldrums of being a reserve, backup or test driver for a team that believes they can get better results out of someone else. It’s an experience that Ricciardo is familiar with, having previously been unable to secure a seat for the start of the 2023 F1 season and instead serving as the third driver for Red Bull. Now it appears that he could be on his way out yet again.
Nothing is confirmed, but rumours have been swirling that Ricciardo has raced his last race with RB at the Singapore Grand Prix. New Zealander and RB backup driver Liam Lawson is a highly touted future star and has been waiting in the wings for some time now. Ricciardo, meanwhile, has only finished in the points three times this season and hasn’t finished higher than 12th over his last four races.
Again, RB haven’t officially announced that Lawson will replace Ricciardo imminently, but even Ricciardo seems to think his time is up. After completing the Singapore Grand Prix, Ricciardo faced reality in a post-race interview. “A lot of emotions, because – look I’m aware it could be it,” he said. “I have to acknowledge it’s obviously been a little bit of a race-by-race situation and I would obviously have loved the weekend to have gone better. It didn’t, so I have to be prepared for this maybe being it. Let’s say I’m at peace with it. At some point it will come for all of us.”
Danny Ric ❤️
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 22, 2024
An emotional Daniel Ricciardo speaks after the #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/53hD09HZ4z
Given this extensive body of evidence, Ricciardo’s time in the driver’s seat could well be up. Rather than drown in our own misery at the loss of one of Australia’s greatest ever F1 drivers – the rise of Oscar Piastri does soften the blow ever so slightly – we’re focusing on the positives by taking a look back at the moments that defined Ricciardo’s career in F1. Plus, Lawson is a Kiwi. And we all know how much Aussies like to claim Kiwis as our own.
2012: A debut to remember at his first home Grand Prix
The 2012 Australian Grand Prix wasn’t Ricciardo’s F1 debut (he had an unremarkable 11-race stint with HRT the year prior, finishing no higher than 18th in any outing), but it was his first entry at his home grand prix. In front of a home crowd that was still largely focused on another Australian in Mark Webber, Ricciardo proved he was the real deal. Finishing in ninth place, Ricciardo scored the first points of his career in the season opener.
2014: First F1 win at Canadian Grand Prix
After competing with the Ferrari-affiliated Toro Rosso team during his first two full F1 seasons, Ricciardo switched allegiances to Red Bull in 2014. There, he managed to become the first Australian driver to finish on the podium at the Australian Grand Prix before being disqualified post-race. He then accomplished his first true podium finish three races later at the Spanish Grand Prix, and his first F1 win at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Sitting in sixth position after the opening lap, Ricciardo worked his way to the front as the Mercedes cars had brake issues and leader Sebastian Vettel struggled with his tyres. Ricciardo took the lead with two laps to go and breezed to victory.
2017: Drive of his life at Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Starting in tenth, Ricciardo dropped all the way down to 17th at one point before charging his way to the front. The most memorable moment of the race came when the Honey Badger passed three drivers in a single turn to move from sixth to third during the closing stages of the race. Known as an extremely late breaker and master overtaker, it was races like Azerbaijan 2017 that earned Ricciardo that reputation.
2018: A long-awaited Monaco Grand Prix victory
After recording thee prior podium finishes at the Monaco Grand Prix – including a heartbreaking second place in 2016 – Ricciardo finally got his Monaco victory in 2018. As is typical in Ricciardo’s case, the win came in spite of difficult circumstances. After leading for the first 28 laps, an MGU-K failure meant his horsepower was reduced by 25% while only being able to use six of his eight gears. Thanks to some stunning defensive manoeuvres, Ricciardo was able to hold off all comers for the win.
2019: Drive To Survive brings international fame
It is doubtful that Drive To Survive – the hit Netflix series that provides viewers with an inside look into life as an F1 driver – would have been as successful as it was without a supremely colourful driver like Ricciardo to serve as its star in its first season. Drive To Survive season one was filmed during the 2018 F1 season, which was Ricciardo’s last with Red Bull. Throughout the series, we see Ricciardo win races, lose them under mitigating circumstances and ultimately decide to leave Red Bull for Renault after deciding that the team was favouring his teammate Max Verstappen. The series made Ricciardo a fan favourite and the most popular driver on the grid.
2021: A milestone for McLaren
Ricciardo’s time with McLaren was anything but smooth sailing, but it did come with some highlights. Namely, Ricciardo notched McLaren’s first F1 win since 2012 at the Italian Grand Prix, silencing critics and proving that he still had plenty left in the tank. He wasn’t surpassed for the honour of McLaren’s most recent winner until earlier this year either.
2023: The comeback
Departing McLaren after the 2022 season, Ricciardo was unable to find a permanent seat for 2023. Instead, he settled for a role as Red Bull’s third driver – which was basically a glorified PR stunt that featured no time behind the wheel. Halfway through the season though, Ricciardo returned to the track with Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri, replacing the struggling Nyck de Vries. The highlight of the return was a seventh place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix.
2024: A fitting ending…?
With all the rumours that the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix would be Ricciardo’s last race in F1, all eyes were on the Aussie, but a fairytale ending always looked unlikely. Ricciardo qualified in 16th position and slid down to 18th during the race, ahead of only a pair of DNFs. Then, with just two laps to go, Ricciardo locked in and recorded the fastest lap of the day by any driver – an achievement that won’t net him any points as he didn’t finish in the top ten, but at the very least proves that he can still keep up with the best of them.
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