An interview with Aussie McLaren F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, who has eight grand prix victories to his name…
Monaco Grand Prix, 2014. We’re milling about on Red Bull Racing’s boat on the sparkling Mediterranean when a fresh-faced Daniel Ricciardo strolls in, beaming with an amicability that’s impossible to dislike. Needless to say at this point Sebastian Vettel is the big dog in the RBR paddock, having come fresh off four straight years claiming the F1 Drivers’ Championship and earning his team the Constructors Championship — and arguably staking claim to Best Driver on the Planet. But what impresses most on this glorious summer day is Ricciardo’s authenticity, and perhaps even shyness that makes you worry if he’s indeed ready for the brutal F1 gauntlet — famously the most ruthless, superlative, demanding category in all motorsport.
One wondered then would his humility and sincerity be his downfall in an asphalt Serengeti crawling with apex predators? Turns out that worry was unfounded as the Australian-born Ricciardo finished third overall that year in the Driver’s Championship, notching his first three Formula One wins in Canada, Hungary, and Spa, more than proving his mettle. Now, eight seasons later, Ricciardo has earned a reputation as one of the fastest drivers in all F1 — while somehow retaining that humility and quick wit that continue to make him a fan favourite and among the most well-liked drivers on the grid.
In that span Ricciardo’s captured plenty of glories, notching eight checkered flags and 32 podiums — while also suffering his fair share of bruises, such as last season finishing behind his younger McLaren Racing teammate Lando Norris. We spoke with ‘The Honey Badger’ as he begins prepping for the 2022 season to discuss his storied career, a somewhat disappointing 2021 and what he hopes to accomplish this season.
You’re known as the “Honey Badger” for being very tough on the track, but how do you balance that edge with maintaining amicability and positive energy in the paddock?
I think it’s very natural. I’m just a pretty easy-going guy, to carry that intensity throughout the whole weekend, I’m just going to burn energy unnecessarily. It helps to just be me, have fun with it, try to soak up the weekend, the atmosphere and still try to joke around if I can. But then I think there’s always been something pretty symbolic about… for me the race car is obviously a weapon. I love it, but it’s also a weapon and it’s dangerous. I’ve always respected the vehicle. I think the symbolism of like putting the helmet on — not only is the helmet a reminder of the dangers involved, but it’s also a time to put your earplugs in and just shut out all the rest. So it automatically just zones me into the place I need to be; I get into that competitive mode. But I’ve thought about it and especially when I got to F1, I was like, Man, should I try to be just intense all the time? I didn’t want to talk to drivers. I didn’t want to give them an inch and show any weakness. I was like, I don’t want any friends, and you run through all this stuff, but it just wasn’t natural to me. I think I’d probably lose out if I was trying to just be too tough off track.
In 2014 you were the new kid on the block. Now seven years later you’ve gone through a couple teams, you’re a seasoned vet. Let’s talk about what last season was like.
It was the most challenging year of my career. I think because I’m a bit of a veteran now you don’t expect to struggle, to have one of your toughest years when you’re well into the depth of your career. So maybe that was a bit of a subconscious mistake on my part to always just expect too much of myself. So when I was struggling I was quite taken aback by it and certainly confused, frustrated. I was a bit down and lost. But then to overcome a lot of that and get the win in Monza [Italy], it made everything okay. I learned a lot about myself through the lows, and some days for sure I was like, I’m done with this. I hate racing. But then a day would pass and I would be training as hard as I ever have in the gym because it lit the fire again. So just trying to learn really how much it meant to me and just to keep persisting. Nothing earned is easy. And it’s also difficult to accept because for most of my career I was used to being one of the best guys on the grid or the top guy on the teams. So to not be that for a good month or something, it definitely makes you question, Man, what’s going on? Do I still have it? You get some of those doubts creeping in a little bit.
It’s also tough because with Netflix’s Drive To Survive it’s all there for everyone to see. Especially in countries like America where before F1 was a secondary or even tertiary sport, the show has absolutely exploded its popularity. Do you watch it?
Firstly, I watch it once through because I’m definitely curious how it’s portrayed to the general public. I’m also curious to see if it’s 100% authentic or if it’s a little bit edited [laughs]. I do enjoy watching it, but I try to remove myself. I try to view it as a fan, which obviously isn’t easy to do because I’m seeing myself a lot of the time. Ultimately I think the show has been really good for the sport. And look, obviously we don’t race F1 to be famous, but it has given us so much exposure. I think ultimately fame aside, it’s a sport I’ve loved my whole life. When I was at school I would wake up early hours in the morning to watch F1 — I had no-one to talk to about the race because no one even really knew what F1 was. So to show the sport that I’ve loved my whole life to a wider audience is cool, because it’s like introducing more of the world to something that I’ve [always] been in love with.
Even casual F1 fans know there’s a very unique dynamic with teammates — some have gotten along, but others have loathed one another. Other than Lando Norris, because he’s your current teammate, who among all your past teammates was the one who either taught you the most or influenced you positively?
When I think of teammates I definitely think of Max [Verstappen]. He’s the first one that comes to mind because he’s the longest teammate I’ve had in Formula 1. I think we pushed each other for better or worse, whether it was a heated rivalry or a respectful intensity we got the best out of each other. We both thrived off it. And then I really enjoyed my year with Vettel in 2014. This was a four-time world champion who I was able to just observe. He had a way of getting what he wanted or getting a point across, which was sometimes intense or robust, but it was respected and taken on. It wasn’t like, Damn, this guy’s complaining again! or He’s telling us how to do our job! It was concise, to the point, but it would always end in, Let’s do it together! There’d be some positive reinforcement, but with authority. It was obviously a world champion talking. It was also some German personality, German efficiency, if you will [laughs].
Max winning the Driver’s Championship in 2021 was obviously a huge accomplishment. How do you balance between happiness for him, and maybe a tinge of, why is it not me up there?
As you touched on, teammate is a very interesting term for it. That’s what they are, but they’re not really mates when you’re teammates. So like with Max sure we had a rivalry, but I think we always respected each other. There was a bit of a lid on our relationship as teammates, but when I then moved on from Red Bull, I felt like because we weren’t directly competing with each other we were able to actually form a better relationship. I think we just really respected what it was, and then we moved on and we were just a little more easier to get along with. I definitely like Max as a person and really do rate him and like the way he goes about his business as well with racing. I was happy for him. I saw him after the race, gave him a hug and just said, ‘Congrats and I’m happy for you.’ And then I messaged him the next morning and I just said, ‘I hope you’re alive.’ [Laughs] Because a few of my friends were there and I saw some videos, I know they’d celebrated with him after the race. I sent him a funny text and then we had a bit of a chat.
Looking back at your career, what has been your proudest moment, so far, on the track?
At the time it was the win in Monaco. Because two years before that, it really did get taken from me with the really slow pit stop, and obviously out of my control. And these things also happen in racing, but I just felt really robbed that day. I questioned if I would ever get that chance again to win Monaco. So to finally win that, I was very, very proud and happy. I didn’t think it would be topped, because the magnitude of that was so big. But after how last year was going it was really the first time in my career I ever had moments of selfdoubt. So to overcome those struggles and to then win Monza, first year with a new team, and when no-one expected me to do it, all of that, I would say that then made Monza my proudest moment. ■
By NICOLAS STECHER
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF St. hugo
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