Two years after leaving the sport, former Red Bull and McLaren racer Daniel Ricciardo sat down for an exclusive interview to look back at his career highlights, bringing his trademark energy and candid reflections to his greatest moments in Formula 1.
Ricciardo secured his maiden victory at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix during his first season with Red Bull. Starting from sixth on the grid, he worked his way up and capitalised on Lewis Hamilton's retirement to enter contention in the final stages. Decisive moves on Sergio Perez and Nico Rosberg over the last few laps sealed the win, leaving the Australian with a chuckle and a shocked "wow!" over the radio.
Monaco provided both heartbreak and ultimate redemption for the Australian. In 2016, a long-awaited maiden pole position turned to misery when a pit stop blunder by the Red Bull crew left him waiting for the wrong tyre compound. Hamilton demoted him to P2, finishing 7.252s ahead. Two seasons later, Ricciardo returned to take the Monaco win he deserved, despite battling a power loss for the majority of the 2018 event that restricted his wounded car to just six gears while he fought off Sebastian Vettel.
That victory led to his famous belly flop into the Red Bull pool, inspired by a scene from the movie Me, Myself and Irene starring Jim Carrey. It matched the cultural impact of his iconic 'shoey' celebration, which saw him drink champagne out of his race boot to show pride in Australia. Drivers and celebrities including Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Sir Patrick Stewart were convinced to join in, serving as Ricciardo's way to loosen up a sport where he felt "the tie was choking everyone."
Having left Red Bull in 2018 and raced for Renault, Ricciardo claimed his final race win with McLaren at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. After passing his former teammate Verstappen at the start, he beat Lando Norris to deliver the Woking-based outfit their first victory in nine years, answering months of personal doubt and a severe lack of confidence.
Reflecting on his career, Ricciardo acknowledged that while the sport involves heavy business and serious stakes, his goal was always simple. "I know F1 is serious, but we can still make it fun," he concluded.
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