"I'm the epitome of human high performance": When Daniel Ricciardo dropped a tongue-in-cheek remark in front of the Netflix camera

Daniel Ricciardo once boasted of his natural racing talent to deem himself the epitome of human high performance. He passed the comment during the filming of the Netflix documentary series "Drive to Survive".

Ricciardo, an eight-time race winner in Formula 1, was always a fan favorite with his witty personality and humor. Having made his debut with HRT in 2011, he rose to fame with Red Bull Racing. However, after five seasons, the Australian native moved to Renault as he reportedly had doubts over the Bulls' new engine partner for the 2019 season, Honda.

Meanwhile, Ricciardo didn't win a single race with Renault and decided to part ways following the end of the 2020 season. However, he had many memorable moments in the series. In the final episode of season 3 released in 2021, he passed a cheeky comment while praising his natural racing abilities.

"I just have amazing natural abilities; I'm the epitome of human high performance. It's just hard to be humble," Daniel Ricciardo said. [01.00]

Ricciardo's decision to leave Red Bull in 2019 proved to be fateful as he saw two disastrous stints with Renault and McLaren. In 2023, he returned to Red Bull as a reserve driver.

While the Aussie was given a chance to prove himself again with sister team Racing Bulls, a wrist injury ruled him out for a couple of months, leading to Liam Lawson's promotion, who made a strong statement with his raw pace.

Eventually, following the conclusion of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, Racing Bulls parted ways with Ricciardo and replaced him with Lawson for the remainder of the season. The New Zealander earned the faith of Red Bull as he was appointed as Sergio Perez's replacement driver for the upcoming 2025 season.

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Daniel Ricciardo shared an emotional message after his last F1 race

Daniel Ricciardo (Image Source: Getty)

The 2024 Singapore Grand Prix turned out to be Daniel Ricciardo's last race with Racing Bulls as they dropped him from the lineup hours later. Meanwhile, the Australian native was emotional in a post-race interview and revealed making peace with his fate.

Talking to F1's official website, Ricciardo said:

“I do feel, let’s say, at peace with it. At some point, it’ll come for all of us… I think also, I tried to get back into Red Bull; it didn’t work out, so then I also have to say, ‘Okay, what else am I ultimately doing here and trying to achieve?’... Let’s say maybe the fairytale ending didn’t happen, but I also have to look back on what it’s been. Fourteen or so years, and I’m proud."

Ricciardo remains without a seat for the 2025 season as Racing Bulls roped in junior driver Isack Hadjar for the second seat. While the Australian was linked to Cadillac, the team is yet to confirm the speculation.