Back when he was fab: Daniel Ricciardo’s eight F1 wins

He simply hasn’t done enough to justify his second chance, handed to him by the company he walked away from when he was performing at the height of his game. The two years at Renault in 2019-20 fell way short of expectation, but it was the lacklustre seasons at McLaren in 2021-22 that really rocked his reputation.

But as Ricciardo’s life as an ex-F1 driver begins, let’s recall the happier times – what made the wide-smiling character, who dubbed himself the ‘Honey Badger’ and introduced the ‘shoey’ to F1 podium celebrations, such a refreshing force. Here’s a recap of his F1 best bits: Ricciardo’s eight race wins.

2014 Canadian Grand Prix

In F1’s first season of the hybrid era, Ricciardo was Red Bull’s brightest spark as the team faced the gut-wrenching realisation that its engine supplier Renault had dropped the ball as Mercedes-AMG picked it up – and ran at full pelt. Promoted after two promising seasons at Toro Rosso to the A-team, and having made his F1 debut for lowly HRT in 2011, Ricciardo proved a revelation as he outperformed four-time consecutive champion Sebastian Vettel. In Montréal, this smiling assassin took his opportunistic shot to score a direct hit for the first time.

Uncharacteristic Mercedes reliability troubles opened the door, both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton suffering overheating ERS systems with the latter retiring with rear brake failure. Ricciardo rose from sixth on the grid to pull a fine pass on Sergio Pérez’s one-stopping Force India, then demoted a hobbled Rosberg to win at his 57^th attempt, becoming Australia’s fourth world championship grand prix winner and the 105^th overall.

2014 Hungarian Grand Prix

Ricciardo’s greatest win? It was certainly a signature performance that mixed opportunism on a damp track with Red Bull’s strategy acumen, plus a crucial dose of Daniel’s trademark ability to overtake anyone, anywhere.

Early safety car interruptions after a torrential downpour before the start made this one of those days when anything could happen. Red Bull switching Ricciardo to a three-stopper proved vital, but after his last pit visit, he was still left with what should have been the daunting task of passing two of the greats: Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Red Bull’s young ace, 25 at the time, pulled a determined move on Hamilton’s Mercedes, hanging on around the outside at Turn 2, then took the lead back from Alonso’s Ferrari at Turn 1. Committed late on the brakes controlled dives were now his calling card, as Ricciardo’s status soared.

2014 Belgian Grand Prix

Following the summer break, Ricciardo won again at the very next race at Spa.This was the race in which Rosberg clipped Hamilton at Les Combes, Ricciardo assuming the lead when the German pitted for a new nose. But what impressed was how he then defended his lead from a recovering Rosberg, in an inferior car. The Red Bull was on well-worn prime tyres against Rosberg’s fresh options over the final nine laps, yet Ricciardo coolly remained out of reach, with Valtteri Bottas’ Williams completing the podium.

What about Vettel? An early error allowed Ricciardo past, and although Seb won a frantic four-way battle with Jenson Button, Alonso and Kevin Magnussen, it was only for fifth place. By season’s end the Red Bull score was 3-0 to Ricciardo, who finished a fine best-of-the-rest third in the world championship behind Hamilton and Rosberg, well clear of his decorated team-mate. Ricciardo driving Vettel away from Red Bull to Ferrari is too simplistic – but Daniel’s emergence sure was a factor in the move.

2016 Malaysian Grand Prix

Red Bull’s first winless season in seven years had triggered angst with power supplier Renault in 2015, but blameless Ricciardo’s reputation remained intact. By the autumn of 2016 he faced a new threat from within as teenager Max Verstappen, a winner on his Red Bull senior team debut in Spain, began to stamp his mark.

At Sepang, the Red Bulls were left to score the team’s first one-two since 2013. Hamilton’s Mercedes power unit let go while he held a dominant lead – severely damaging his title hopes – while points leader Rosberg finished third after an in-the-wars race that included collisions with both Ferraris. Up front, proof followed that not only was Ricciardo refusing to roll over in the face of Verstappen’s combative style, he was also more than capable of racing wheel to wheel with the Dutch sensation.

Even on fresher tyres Verstappen could not breach Ricciardo’s stoic defences, and after a double-stacking stop during a Virtual Safety Car (brought about by Hamilton’s retirement) Ricciardo had his first win in more than two years. Like in 2014, Ricciardo was a best-of-the-rest third in the championship behind the Merc drivers that year.

2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Mad race. In a season during which Red Bull was left mostly in the shadow of Mercedes and Ferrari, Ricciardo came from 10^th on the grid to win. This was the one when Vettel ran into the back of Hamilton under a safety car, accused his rival of a brake test, then swerved into him in a red mist moment of rage. He’d likely have won without the subsequent penalty because Hamilton’s race was ruined by a loose headrest which required an extra stop. Daniel had dropped as low as 17^th after an early unscheduled stop of his own, but here he was claiming what would be his only win of the season. Verstappen won in Malaysia and Mexico, yet Ricciardo still outscored him that year.

2018 Chinese Grand Prix

Even better than Hungary 2014? Perhaps it was. In his commentary, Martin Brundle described Ricciardo as a “racing burglar” in the way he won grands prix, signature late-braking passes on the Mercs of Hamilton and Bottas the highlights of a special charge from sixth on the grid. Meanwhile, Verstappen remained reckless and impatient in wheel to wheel combat, spinning around the Ferrari of early leader Vettel. Here, Ricciardo’s seniority and maturity gave him the edge. But next time out in Baku they would sensationally collide in the wake of Verstappen’s borderline defence.

2018 Monaco Grand Prix

This was retribution for the pitstop blunder that had cost him victory at the ‘Big One’ in 2016. This time, Ricciardo looked dominant from pole position – until an MGU-K failure cost him heaps of horsepower. How Daniel then adapted to manage his power loss and hold off Vettel’s Ferrari delivered him his most controlled victory. Winning at Monaco is a huge box to tick for any F1 driver. Once you’ve managed it, you’ve got it forever. And Ricciardo’s belongs among the finest ever scored in Monaco.

2021 Italian Grand Prix

The career turning point, and with hindsight where the downturn began, was Ricciardo’s decision to leave Red Bull for Renault – resigned to a feeling he couldn’t shake that the team would always be focused first on Verstappen. It’s easy to say now, that walking away from such a team and a race-winning car was a life-changing error. But in the moment, without knowing what was to come, the move could be justified.

Three seasons later and now finding himself overshadowed by young Lando Norris at McLaren, Ricciardo briefly showed a glimmer of his old self. The win at Monza was overshadowed by the collision between Verstappen and Hamilton at the first chicane, a flashpoint in their tetchy yet magnificent season-long title duel.

But even if they hadn’t come together, both would still have had to pass Ricciardo’s McLaren, which had taken the lead from the start. So, this wasn’t an inherited win. Ricciardo led Norris to a special one-two, McLaren’s first win since 2012. “For anyone who thought I left, I never left,” said Daniel on the team radio after the flag. It looks like he has now, probably for good. But after the slow, painful decline, let’s remember the best of him.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.