Let’s rewind the clock again 10 years. Lewis Hamilton was a one-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel had secured 4 titles in a row and – alongside the German at Pink Bull – Daniel Ricciardo was gearing up for his first 12 months on the crew, having changed the retiring Mark Webber.
The then 24-year-old was coming off the again of two full seasons in F1 with Toro Rosso and had by no means completed a Grand Prix greater than seventh. He would end the 2013 season thirteenth within the drivers’ championship, however there have been indicators of the potential the younger Australian had.
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As a measure of what he may do, Ricciardo had outqualified his Toro Rosso crew mate Jean-Eric Vergne 30-7 of their two seasons collectively. And that had contributed to this younger racer bagging one of the coveted seats on the F1 grid.
Quick ahead now to the current day, and we’ve a 34-year-old Ricciardo driving for Pink Bull’s sister crew. In 2023, he completed no greater than seventh however confirmed flashes of the immense expertise he has – and he’s now within the working for one of the coveted seats on the F1 grid. Deja vu anybody?
Sure, the Daniel Ricciardo story may very well be one main transfer away from primarily repeating itself – solely this time, the racer has many extra F1 miles on the clock in comparison with his earlier promotion to Pink Bull.
The previous 10 years have been a rollercoaster for Ricciardo. There have been unbelievable highs, difficult lows, and he’s confronted the ache of being with no seat on the grid initially of 2023. Right here we glance again on Ricciardo’s journey over the past decade, with one other potential shot within the Pink Bull seat he as soon as possessed very a lot on the playing cards.
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Ricciardo’s preliminary Pink Bull years
Few folks would have guess on Ricciardo coming into Pink Bull and ending greater than his four-time world champion crew mate Vettel in that 2014 season – however that’s precisely what occurred.
Whereas it was Mercedes and Hamilton who would bask within the championship glory, Ricciardo was shortly gaining his personal accolades as a possible champion of the longer term ought to he get the equipment.
All in all, the Australian would take three Grands Prix victories in 2014, his first coming in Canada as he turned the fourth Australian to attain a Grand Prix win in F1, whereas Vettel would win none that 12 months. Ricciardo finally completed third within the drivers’ standings – two locations and 71 factors higher off than his extra established crew mate.
If ever there was a lesson in how a lot can change in a 12 months, Ricciardo had delivered an ideal instance. In October it was introduced Vettel could be leaving Pink Bull on the finish of the season to hitch Ferrari, one 12 months earlier than his contract was set to run out.
Ricciardo would now be deemed the senior driver within the crew after only one season, with Daniil Kvyat changing the departing Vettel for 2015.
That 12 months, Pink Bull’s RB11 didn’t ship the specified efficiency because the crew slipped behind the likes of Ferrari and Williams whereas Mercedes loved one other formidable season. What held the automotive again was their Renault energy unit and Ricciardo would end the 12 months down in eighth, three factors behind Kvyat regardless of out-qualifying the Russian 14-5.
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However 2016 would carry a way more aggressive Pink Bull machine, with the Australian recurrently that includes in direction of the entrance once more – apart from the dominant Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg who dueled for championship honours.
That season witnessed an notorious incident in Monaco. Ricciardo had claimed his first ever pole place, and led the early moist phases of the race, however he could be hampered by a pit cease mix-up that meant his supersoft tyres weren’t there ready for him.
Hamilton duly took the race lead after that expensive error, and Ricciardo was left completely dejected. “I have been screwed two weeks in a row,” he would say post-race, having referred to as out his technique within the earlier Spanish Grand Prix – the race his new crew mate Max Verstappen had gained on his Pink Bull debut on the age of 18.
Pink Bull’s driver pairing was just about set as soon as Verstappen had been promoted on the expense of Kvyat halfway by 2016. Whereas Mercedes continued to dominate there have been nonetheless moments of Pink Bull pleasure within the two and a half years Ricciardo and Verstappen labored collectively.
Ricciardo would add the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix, the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the 2018 Chinese language Grand Prix and – righting the mistaken of 2016 – the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix to his record of wins. Verstappen would additionally get in on the act, additional successful the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix, the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix and the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix.
A lot within the paddock anticipated this driver pairing to proceed for the foreseeable – it was in any case a formidably gifted duo who simply wanted the equipment to compete on the very prime finish. After which Ricciardo gambled…
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Ricciardo’s shock Renault swap
“It was by far the hardest determination I’ve made in my racing profession. However in 29 years residing on this Earth, it was truly one of many hardest life choices I’ve made,” mentioned Ricciardo in a video weblog after it was confirmed he could be transferring from Pink Bull to Renault for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
“I felt it was a time now the place it was good for me to maneuver on and have a contemporary begin some other place. I feel it is going to be wholesome for me – so, excited for what lies forward with Renault.”
That transfer in August 2018 caught a lot of the F1 paddock off guard, together with Pink Bull, and was considered as an enormous gamble from the Australian. Roughly 5 and a half years on, it could actually solely be seen as a chance that didn’t repay.
Partnered with Nico Hulkenberg, Ricciardo and Renault’s 2019 was comparatively disappointing because the Australian would go on to complete ninth within the drivers’ championship on 54 factors. For context Verstappen completed third on 278 factors.
Granted, Ricciardo knew there could be work to do at Renault to rework them into an outfit that might problem on the entrance, and the place he may add to his record of Grand Prix victories.
However, whereas 2020 introduced some inexperienced shoots of promise – an increase to fifth within the drivers’ standings for the Australian was proof of that – it wasn’t passable sufficient. In the end his head had been turned.
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‘It’s like being dumped by a girlfriend…’
When Ferrari determined to not retain Vettel for the 2021 season, a collection of driver adjustments kicked into gear early on in 2020. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz would fill the vacant seat at Ferrari, thus creating a gap alongside Lando Norris on the papaya-coloured outfit.
Ricciardo was impressed, saying he had been satisfied by McLaren’s progress as they overtook Renault to say fourth within the constructors’ championship in 2019 in addition to their determination to change engines to Mercedes.
“Final 12 months is our greatest reference,” he mentioned in June 2020. “They have been the crew that made essentially the most noise. They made the most important step out of all in order that was encouraging. That is all you possibly can base it off after which the pitch for the longer term. They’re switching energy models. It was under no circumstances a straightforward determination.”
Drive To Survive followers will recall the fallout from this determination. Then Renault Workforce Principal Cyril Abiteboul didn’t take the information properly to say the least – and episode 5 of collection three lined all of that.
“We should be ready to be combating for wins and championships, and Daniel has put a cease to that,” says Abiteboul within the present. Ricciardo’s former Pink Bull boss Horner additionally couldn’t resist the odd jibe, as he was filmed asking the Australian, “Is Cyril speaking to you but?”
Horner would then inform the Netflix cameras: “It’s like being dumped by a girlfriend however she hasn’t moved out of the home. It should be an odd dynamic for Cyril, realizing for the entire season that Daniel goes to his greatest rival. Cyril little question took that very personally.”
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In the end, Ricciardo’s transfer to McLaren was one other gamble that didn’t repay. Whereas there was one apparent excessive level – his win on the 2021 Italian Grand Prix secured McLaren’s first victory for the reason that 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix – for no matter cause Ricciardo struggled to become familiar with the equipment he was given in his two years with the crew.
In 2021 he would end two locations and 45 factors behind his crew mate Norris (who completed sixth) within the drivers’ standings, whereas in 2022 the disparity between the 2 was worse – Ricciardo completed 85 factors behind the Brit.
In August 2022, Ricciardo’s destiny at McLaren was sealed as he and the crew terminated his contract a 12 months early by mutual settlement. In the long run he would get replaced by rookie Oscar Piastri for the season simply gone.
Abruptly, lower than 10 years after showcasing his undoubted promise and potential in his debut Pink Bull 12 months, Ricciardo was left with no seat on the 2023 grid.
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A topsy-turvy comeback 12 months
Ricciardo would start 2023 as Pink Bull’s reserve driver, having opted to rejoin the crew he selected to go away in 2018 – and it could kick-start one other eventful 12 months within the lifetime of the Australian.
In the end that spell on the F1 sidelines would show to be helpful for him, permitting for self-reflection and time to refresh his mindset.
“I feel having the day without work for the beginning of the 12 months, I realised that I used to be in all probability simply doing an excessive amount of typically and possibly even simply not prioritising myself by way of my physique and my restoration and all that,” Ricciardo would say on his time away.
However the name to return again quickly got here. With Ricciardo driving the dominant Pink Bull RB19 within the Pirelli tyre take a look at at Silverstone following the British Grand Prix, the announcement got here that Nyck de Vries was to be launched from his AlphaTauri seat – and Ricciardo was again in at Pink Bull’s sister crew from Hungary.
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There had lengthy been speak that Ricciardo’s kind was again following his Pink Bull return, and the take a look at at Silverstone proved it. In his phrases, he was “just a few hundredths” off Verstappen’s pole time on the Grand Prix weekend that had simply performed out, and naturally there was pleasure.
However that was simply the beginning of Ricciardo’s rollercoaster comeback 12 months. All of the sudden he was out once more after breaking his metacarpal bone in an FP2 crash in Zandvoort.
In got here Liam Lawson, who impressed whereas Ricciardo sat out the next 5 race weekends, and all of a sudden there was an actual debate as to the motive force pairing AlphaTauri may select going ahead out of Ricciardo, Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.
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AlphaTauri would finally again Ricciardo and Tsunoda into 2024 – however there may be additionally the small matter of Sergio Perez, the person who’s driving the Pink Bull seat Ricciardo used to have.
The Mexican’s struggles in 2023, as he didn’t problem his all-conquering crew mate, have been properly documented, significantly his troubles in qualifying. However he nonetheless completed as runner-up within the drivers’ standings and may have one other season to show his value at Pink Bull.
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Ricciardo could be very a lot eyeing up his outdated seat once more, saying it could be excellent to finish his profession as a Pink bull driver.
“I am not even going to place a day, or date on it, or 12 months, no matter,” he advised the Past The Grid podcast. “I feel coming again into it and leaping again in with the Pink Bull household, doing the take a look at in July, all these items, working with Simon [Rennie] once more, that is actually the dream.
“Truthfully, to finish my profession as a Pink Bull driver could be excellent. Not that I am wanting on the finish, but when I am going again there, then I am going to definitely be certain I end there.”
Again in 2018 there have been shockwaves when Pink Bull’s Ricciardo and Verstappen pairing was damaged up – and in the end we by no means received to see what may have been had that duo had a championship-winning automotive at their disposal. Now, although, there may be each likelihood we would get to see that play out in any case.
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