F1: The best of Daniel Ricciardo in the 2018 season

How does one label Daniel Ricciardo's 2018 season?

The fate of the F1 season has been decided with Hamilton proving once again that he was too hard to handle for Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. But if there were a team that was able to undermine both Ferrari and Mercedes, if only in bits and elope with a few dramatic wins then it was Red Bull.

Having said that, in a season authored by the Lewis versus Sebastian saga, nothing would divide fans as much as seeing Max Verstappen clinch a hat-trick of podiums in the last three races on the one hand with Daniel Ricciardo failing to reach the podium even once.

For a man so used to smiling on the track just as well as he chuckles off it, it's not been easy to see Daniel Ricciardo endure the ignominy of facing eight DNFs, the most for any driver this season.

Having said that, have there been any interesting moments where the man behind the 'shoey' celebrated some achievements, if not via the 'drinking of champagne off the boot' way?

Let's find out the top five moments of Ricciardo's 2018 season:

#5 Monaco win despite the technical snag in the car

Verstappen couldn't do it, Vettel too couldn't, nor did Hamilton emerge on top at the fashionable principality.

Only Daniel Ricciardo was able to win at the Monaco Grand Prix but only after having to wait for one full year having endured bad luck in 2017.

In so doing, it wasn't easy for Daniel, who, albeit being the pole-sitter had to constantly keep his car ahead of a fast catching Sebastian and had to also make peace with a power issue in his MGU-K unit in car number 33.

#4 The race burglar 'steals' an enthralling Chinese Grand Prix

Ricciardo's first podium for 2018 came in the form of Monaco and the other, the more dramatic one, if it could be said so, came in the form of an incredible win at Shanghai, home of the Chinese Grand Prix.

But having said that, it's also worthwhile to state that his win wasn't really in the offing.

Until Lap 27 of 56, Ricciardo was running in sixth and was nowhere near to the podium post which he'd jump into the fifth place by lap 30.

Thereafter, we'd see a very different perspective to Ricciardo's race, one marked by sublime overtaking and assisted by good fortune.

As the trio of Bottas, Vettel, and Raikkonen was involved in an interesting battle for the first with a few laps still remaining in the race, the safety car was deployed all of a sudden as the two Toro Rosso's came to blows.

As a result, Ricciardo dived into the pits, following his teammate in a stellar double stacking for Red Bull.

A few laps later, as Verstappen, eager to catch Hamilton, would skid off the track only to see Riccardo through to fourth, there would be more good news for the Australian's fans as Daniel would pass Hamilton in a stellar move with only 16 laps to go.

Then, on Lap 42, Ricciardo would make a bold move again, this time on Vettel, then running in second in an incredible effort on the main straights.

With only Bottas to catch, it was a matter of time before his Red Bull's tail emerged in Bottas' mirrors akin to a happy surfer sighting a shark behind.

What was next? Another stunner of a move for Daniel Ricciardo to stun the Chinese Grand Prix attendees and take his second win of the season. He wouldn't let Bottas catch him for 11 laps from the onset of lap number 45.

#3 A fighting P4 at Japan, having begun P15

The 2018 Japanese Grand Prix wasn't the finest race for Daniel Ricciardo, who could only qualify fifteenth for the contest.

On the other hand, Verstappen was busy clocking up great times to secure a place among the top three.

But on race day, Verstappen would understand just why his teammate soon to drive against him in bright yellows is so highly rated.

In marking one of the finest recoveries of his Red Bull racing career, the Australian driver was fast to pass the cars stacked in front of him in making no bones about the fact that he had had enough in a forgettable qualifying a day earlier.

What's more? It was evident that the other drivers were going to pay, coming once again under the attack of the 'honey badger.'

Ricciardo would first battle the Racing Point Force Indias' and would then pass Kevin Magnussen of Haas, diving down the inside of the Dane.

By Lap 2, he was up into fourteenth, post which he would manage to emerge tenth on Lap 6.

Later on, as Verstappen and Vettel would come to blows in a desperate move by both drivers, Ricciardo would be one of the beneficiaries, jumping onto ninth.

Soon, on Lap 12, the 'master of late braking' would jump onto eighth after passing Peres in a bold move around the chicane. He would make some more interesting places to eventually finish fourth, not too bad for a man who didn't seem in contention of finishing inside top ten having begun fifteenth, right?

#2 A fighting drive at Hungaroring, with a subtle salute to Bottas

The 2018 Hungaroring Grand Prix wasn't the best race for Valtteri Bottas, who couldn't attack Hamilton as soon as the five red lights turned green, despite having a better look-in at the world champion from his second place start.

He would later come under a vicious spell of attack by the likes of Vettel and later, Ricciardo, both of whom he'd fail to defend against.

But Ricciardo, who'd emerge the better of the two drivers in the battle between the duo, showed an immense appetite for a fight as he'd pass Magnussen on Lap 21 of the 70-lap-contest.

He wouldn't contend with a lacklustre qualifying as experienced a day earlier for no fault of his own.

His next target would be Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly.

But on Lap 65, Bottas who'd touch Vettel and endure a slip up only to see the German pass, he'd have no idea that Ricciardo would soon target him to pass ahead.

At that time, both Raikkonen and Vettel would go ahead of Mercedes' Finnish driver, leaving him susceptible to an attack from Ricciardo.

On Lap 68, Ricciardo now within half a second behind Bottas would attempt a rather brash move which would only result in the Australian skid off the track. But was he ever going to relent?

He'd soon claw his way back at around the same segment of the track and finally move ahead, but not before offering a one-finger salute to Valtteri.

#1 Mexico's sensational pole

Daniel Ricciardo entered the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix but not before enduring seven DNFs.

Later on, much to the surprise of those who may not have expected Ricciardo to do something special, he managed to clinch the pole position with Vettel and Hamilton around and at least one of them in serious form.

Which other drivers would've managed a pole position 0.026 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, one wonders?

Having said that, Ricciardo's sensational pole lap, a new track record at 1:15:866 was every bit sensational as his efforts seen earlier at Monaco and China.

But Ricciardo's wide-smile would be truncated come the race-day. Not only would he see other drivers pass him right at the start, including Vettel and Ricciardo's own teammate, Verstappen, but he would also suffer another mechanical DNF.

Not the best when you're doing well and your car gives up on you, right? In Daniel's case, a hydraulics failure would upset his chances of earning what at that point in time seemed a certain second-place finish.

Edited by Debjyoti Samanta