Daniel Ricciardo's performance coach describes what makes the "Honey Badger" stand out

Daniel Ricciardo’s performance coach Michael Italiano has commented on the driver’s unique persona which sets him apart as a popular athlete. He explained how despite being an F1 superstar, the Australian's unique persona portrays him as a normal and relatable person to fans.

Describing Daniel Ricciardo's personality, Italiano told Steve Mackie on the In the Game podcast:

“He is a very grand human. He has quiet a unique charisma to him...when I say unique, it is his natural charisma, he is not trying to be someone he isn't. I think he is quite comfortable in his own skin and thats important, especially if you are in front of a camera a lot.”

The performance coach has worked with the McLaren driver since 2017, and has been one of the driver’s closest friend and allies. Italiano has been an integral part of monitoring Daniel Ricciardo’s physical fitness and mental routine during his F1 career.

Further explaining the personality behind the famous grin, Italiano praised Daniel Ricciardo and said:

“He his just being himself and if people don’t like it, then people don’t like it. That's just him, he is the funny goofy guy. He is a bit nerdy at times and a bit funny and sometimes he is a bit cheeky. But thats just who he is. I think people can resonate with that and appreciate that he is obviously a very popular athlete but also, he is just being himself. He is not trying to impress or be something he is not.”

Daniel Ricciardo’s journey in the sport has been an uneasy one since his move from Red Bull Racing, as he struggled at Renault and has been shown up by the younger Lando Norris at McLaren.

Through it all, though, he remains a fan favorite, and according to Italiano, his relatable nature is the main reason behind it. Ricciardo's jolly demeanor, even in the face of adversity, has often won him support from fans over the years in an intensely competitive sport like F1.

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Daniel Ricciardo retired from the Brazil Grand Prix due to chassis crack

After starting in the top 10, Daniel Ricciardo was forced to retire from the Brazil Grand Prix due to a crack in his chassis. The Australian's failure only added to McLaren's woes as their other driver Lando Norris couldn't finish higher than 10th.

Scoring only a single point at a critical race weekend when they were already trailing Ferrari by a narrow margin in the constructors' standings further added to their misery. The team was in third place prior to the Mexican Grand Prix weekend. However, they are now fourth and trail Ferrari by 31.5 points with three races left on the calendar.