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Considering how Daniel Ricciardo came across to observers at the F1 Singapore GP, he might be out of the sport for good this time. Even though there has been no official word, the driver getting emotional while talking to the media, and his overall demeanor, followed by quite a few paddock members suggesting that this was it for the Australian, there is certainly a scenario where Ricciardo doesn't make it back to the F1 grid.
If that is the case, and if Ricciardo has now run his last race in the sport, there is one question that a contemporary F1 fan or someone who has not seen his entire career, doesn't have an answer to. Just how good was Daniel Ricciardo, and what will be his legacy if he finally calls time on his career? Let's take a look.
Career recap
HRT
Daniel Ricciardo began his F1 career with HRT in 2011 where he took part in 11 races for the team. The driver just gained experience racing in a backmarker for a time as Red Bull looked to make a place for him at Toro Rosso.
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Toro Rosso
In 2012, Daniel Ricciardo stepped into Toro Rosso, Red Bull's junior team and it was here that his true test began. He was teamed up with Jean-Eric Vergne, another highly-rated fellow academy driver.
The two drivers were under pressure as they replaced Sebastian Buemi and Jaimie Algersuari, two similarly highly rated talents who were unceremoniously dropped by Helmut Marko.
Ricciardo was at Toro Rosso for two seasons and during this time the Australian proved enough to Red Bull that, out of himself and Jean-Eric Vergne, he was the better choice for a promotion to the senior team.
With fellow Australian Mark Webber leaving the sport at the end of 2013, we had Daniel Ricciardo as Red Bull driver from 2014 onwards
Red Bull
2014 was the year Daniel Ricciardo truly arrived in F1. In what was a breakthrough year for him, the Australian won 3 races and outperformed the reigning four-time champion and team leader Sebastian Vettel.
By the end of the season, Vettel, disillusioned with the new regulations, opted to leave Red Bull and pursue a new dream by joining Ferrari. With that exit, within a year, Ricciardo went from being an exciting new upstart to the team leader at Red Bull.
From 2014 onwards, the Australian was considered one of the best drivers in F1, and he performed on that level as well. In 2016, when Max Verstappen was promoted midseason to be Daniel Ricciardo's teammate, instead of the Australian getting overshadowed by this young prodigious talent, he held his own.
The two drivers were well-matched, and there were days when either of the two was unbeatable.
In this period that lasted until 2018, Daniel Ricciardo put together some stunning drives. His win at the 2016 F1 Malaysian GP, where the driver had to fend off his teammate, turned heads. He built his reputation as a ruthless racer who would go for the gaps whenever an opportunity presented itself, and there were many giant-killing drives in an era when Red Bull didn't have the best car on the grid.
By mid-2018, however, Ricciardo felt the winds of change at Red Bull, as the team leaned more and more toward Verstappen. The Australian decided that it was time for a change and moved to Renault for the 2019 F1 season.
Renault
Daniuel Ricciardo had a 2-year stint at Renault, and overall it was a very strong run. It was nowhere close to the giant-killing and front-running cars that he previously had under him, but even in the midfield, Ricciardo out-shined his peers.
The 2019 F1 season saw a period of acclimatization for the driver, and he picked things up in the second half. In 2020, however, Ricciardo got Renault its first podium. In a car that was probably even slower than the McLaren and the Racing Point, Ricciardo ended the season within touching distance of Sergio Perez, who had a much faster car.
What was also notable was the driver finishing the season ahead of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz of McLaren, the two driving a car that was convincingly faster over the season.
For 2021, Daniel Ricciardo was moving to McLaren, a move he'd decided to make before the 2020 season even began.
McLaren
The 2021 F1 season was arguably a season where Ricciardo's career took a turn for the worse. In a McLaren that he couldn't understand, the Australian was comprehensively outperformed by Lando Norris over the season.
Things got worse in 2022 when Ricciardo simply struggled to keep up with his teammate in the new regulations.
The driver's contract that was supposed to run for 3 years was prematurely terminated by McLaren at the end of the 2022 F1 season. There were some highlights for the Australian, as he did win the 2021 F1 Italian GP, but other than that, it was one-way traffic in the teammate battle, and that's never a good thing.
He was however picked up by Red Bull's Christian Horner in a reserve driver role at the end of 2022, as the driver had no other viable option left on the grid.
AlphaTauri/RB
The 2023 F1 season saw Daniel Ricciardo make a surprise return to the sport as Red Bull was impressed by his run during the tire test. The driver didn't run many races as he had to sit out due to a wrist injury.
The 2024 F1 season was supposed to be the one where he had the chance to impress everyone and become a viable candidate to replace Sergio Perez. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The driver was more or less on par with Yuki Tsunoda after an early blip, and that's where he ended up finding himself at the end of the 2024 F1 Singapore GP.
While it is still unofficial, it is more than likely that Daniel Ricciardo does not get to return for the next race.
What is Daniel Ricciardo's legacy?
Now comes the more important question. What is Daniel Ricciardo's legacy? Well, the answer to that question lies in what he materially accomplished in F1. His career can be divided into two halves.
The first half was until the end of the 2020 F1 season, wherein he was one of the best drivers in the sport. His performance on the track, his pace, his ability to race at the razor's edge, and his ability to just be a likable individual, stood out.
By the end of 2020, Ricciardo was one of the biggest stars in Formula 1 thanks to his marketability and on-track brilliance.
Then came the stint at McLaren, and everything went downhill from that point. Either it was a lack of adaptability or just his age, but something went wrong for Ricciardo and he was just never the same after that.
How should he be remembered?
This is an interesting question, and the answer is very subjective. Ideally, Daniel Ricciardo should be looked at as a driver who brought thrill, adventure, and joy to the fans. Some of his race wins were nothing short of spectacular, and his affectionate nature ended up wooing everyone, from the teams to the fans to the F1 pundits.
He was a great addition to the F1 grid and made his mark with some remarkable drives. And that's how he should be remembered.
