Ricciardo's Bahrain Race: Will He Compete?

Australian racing driver Daniel Ricciardo has had a long and illustrious career in Formula One, with eight race wins, three pole positions, 17 fastest laps and 32 podiums under his belt. However, Ricciardo will not be racing in Bahrain for the 2025 season. Instead, Liam Lawson will be replacing him at RB, Red Bull's racing team, for the remainder of the 2024 season. This decision was made after Ricciardo broke his hand at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo's career so far

Daniel Ricciardo is an Australian racing driver who has competed in Formula One from 2011 to 2024. Here is a summary of his career so far:

Early Career

Ricciardo was born and raised in Perth, Australia, to Italian-Australian parents. He started competitive kart racing at the age of nine and progressed to junior formulae in 2005. In 2008, he won his first championship at the Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup with SG Formula. The following year, he won the British Formula 3 Championship with Carlin.

Formula One Career

HRT (2011)

Ricciardo made his Formula One debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with HRT (Hispania Racing F1 Team) as part of a deal with Red Bull, for whom he was test driving under its junior team Toro Rosso.

Toro Rosso (2012-2013)

In 2012, Ricciardo earned a full-time drive with Toro Rosso and competed alongside Jean-Éric Vergne for two seasons. He scored his first World Championship points at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix, finishing in ninth place. In 2013, he scored his best finish with Toro Rosso, coming in seventh at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Red Bull (2014-2018)

Ricciardo was promoted to Red Bull in 2014, replacing Mark Webber and partnering with Sebastian Vettel. In his first season, he finished third in the championship, winning three races: the Canadian, Hungarian, and Belgian Grands Prix. He went on to win five more races with Red Bull: the Malaysian Grand Prix (2016), the Azerbaijan Grand Prix (2017), and the Chinese and Monaco Grands Prix (2018).

Renault (2019-2020)

Ricciardo signed with Renault in 2019 and retained his seat for the 2020 season, achieving multiple podiums.

McLaren (2021-2022)

In 2021, Ricciardo joined McLaren and achieved his only race win and podium for the team at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. He left McLaren at the end of the 2022 season.

Red Bull (2023)

Ricciardo returned to Red Bull as a reserve driver in 2023.

AlphaTauri/RB (2023-2024)

In 2023, Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri and competed alongside Yuki Tsunoda. He achieved his best qualifying position of the season at the Mexican Grand Prix, starting in fourth place.

Awards and Recognition

Throughout his Formula One career, Ricciardo has won eight races, three pole positions, 17 fastest laps, and 32 podiums. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for his contributions to motorsports.

Ricciardo's racing number tribute to Dale Earnhardt

Daniel Ricciardo is an Australian racing driver who has been competing in Formula One since 2011. He is a fan of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, and even attended a Texas Cup race in 2017 wearing a vintage 'The Black Knight' T-shirt.

When Formula One introduced permanent driver numbers in 2014, Ricciardo chose the number 3, as it was his first number in karting, and because it was synonymous with Earnhardt. Ricciardo also ran an Earnhardt-style number 3 on his crash helmet, which Earnhardt's son, Dale Jr., approved of.

In 2014, Ricciardo stepped up to Red Bull's senior team from Toro Rosso. He knew that he had to establish himself as a potential title contender and shake off the reputation of being "easy." That year, he scored three victories, including his first in Canada, where he made some decisive overtakes. In Hungary, he passed Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, and in Germany, he had a big fight with Alonso. Ricciardo's aggressive style and fearless moves have earned him a reputation as one of the greatest modern overtakers in Formula One.

Ricciardo's admiration for Earnhardt goes beyond the racing track. He sees a deeper homage to Earnhardt in his Formula One career, adopting the nickname "The Intimidator," which was one of Earnhardt's main nicknames. Ricciardo wanted to make a statement and be the guy who was not afraid to attempt bold moves and race hard. He wanted to earn the reputation of being intimidating, just like his hero, Earnhardt, who was known for intimidating his competitors.

In 2021, Ricciardo's team boss, Zak Brown, promised to let him drive Earnhardt's 1984 Monte Carlo if he achieved a podium finish with McLaren. Ricciardo won the Italian Grand Prix, and Brown kept his promise, allowing Ricciardo to drive the Monte Carlo at the US Grand Prix. Ricciardo's passion for NASCAR and his tribute to Earnhardt have driven fans into a frenzy, with many expressing their excitement on social media platforms.

Ricciardo's 2024 season performance

Daniel Ricciardo is racing for the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team in the 2024 season, alongside teammate Yuki Tsunoda. The team was formerly named AlphaTauri and is a sister team to Red Bull.

Ricciardo, who has 239 Grand Prix starts and eight race wins under his belt, has spoken of renewed energy and being free of any "negative weight" and "stress" ahead of the 2024 season. He said:

> "I'm hungry and motivated without any negative weight on my shoulders or stress attached to it, to interfere with my life."

Ricciardo left the grid at the end of 2022 after parting ways with McLaren earlier than planned. However, he made an earlier-than-expected return midway through 2023 when AlphaTauri opted to replace Nyck de Vries.

Ricciardo got his first taste of RB's new car during pre-season testing in Bahrain. He continued:

> "After 2022, I needed that time off, so it was great to jump in mid-season, but in terms of being fully prepared, this year has been a better way to get ready. I do feel that this is like the start of the second part of my career."

Ricciardo and Tsunoda secured contract extensions last season, keeping them with RB until the end of 2024. In his seven-race stint in 2023, Ricciardo scored one top-10 finish.

Ricciardo's move to McLaren in 2021

After two years with Renault, Daniel Ricciardo signed with McLaren for the 2021 Formula One World Championship, replacing Carlos Sainz Jr. Ricciardo's move to McLaren was considered a gamble, given that he had left Red Bull for Renault in 2018, only to see the team's performance decline in the pecking order.

Ricciardo's decision to join McLaren was influenced by several factors. Firstly, he wanted to be part of a team that was on an upward trajectory, and McLaren's impressive performance in 2020, where they leapfrogged Renault in the constructors' championship, caught his attention. Secondly, McLaren's switch to Mercedes power from Renault for 2021 was a key factor, as Ricciardo had previously suffered from reliability issues with Renault's power unit at Red Bull. The Mercedes power unit, on the other hand, had a reputation for being proven and nearly bulletproof.

Additionally, Ricciardo was attracted to McLaren's long-term commitment to Formula One and their technical expertise, which positioned them well to capitalise on the new aerodynamic regulations set to debut in 2022. The team's desire to have Ricciardo on board, their backing of him both on and off the track, and the opportunity to be a benchmark for his teammate, Lando Norris, also played a role in his decision.

Ricciardo's move to McLaren was described as a "make or break" moment for his career by former Formula One world champion Jenson Button. With Ricciardo's previous contract ending with Renault, he knew that this could be his last big move, and at 30 years old, he was aware that time was running out to win a title in Formula One.

Ricciardo's single season with McLaren in 2021 proved to be his only season with the team, as he left at the end of the year and signed as a reserve driver for Red Bull in 2023.

Ricciardo's early racing career

Daniel Ricciardo's racing career began at the age of nine when he started competitive kart racing as a member of the Tiger Kart Club (TKC). He entered numerous karting events and, in 2005, he participated in the Western Australian Formula Ford championship, finishing eighth by the end of the season.

In 2005, Ricciardo took a 13-year-old Van Diemen to Sandown Raceway in Melbourne to compete in the national Formula Ford series, but his ageing car was uncompetitive, and he finished 16th, 17th and retired during the weekend's three races. However, that year, he found more success in karting, becoming the Australian champion.

In 2007, Ricciardo finished sixth in the Formula Renault 2.0 Italia series and was subsequently selected by the Red Bull Junior Team. In 2008, he made his Formula Three debut at the Nürburgring with SG Formula's Formula 3 Euro Series team, qualifying in eighth for the first race and finishing sixth.

Ricciardo moved to the British Formula 3 Championship for the 2009 season, driving for Carlin Motorsport. He won the championship that year and continued his partnership with Carlin by heading to the Macau Grand Prix. On October 30, 2009, Ricciardo was signed by Tech 1 to compete in the 2010 season.

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