Current Daniel Ricciardo

I noticed young Daniel didn't have his own thread so thought I'd give him on as sure he'll be around for a good few years.

Born in 1989 (that makes him 22 before you do the maths) this aussie started karting at the age of 9 and in 2005 entered the Western Australian Formula Ford Championship as a privateer driving a car that was 15 years old at the time and managed to finish 8th. He won a scholarship to compete in Formula BMW Asia the following year. As we all know he eventually became involved in the Red Bull young driver programme after winning the British Formula 3 championship in 2009.

Became Red Bull's test driver and has now stepped up to drive for HRT. Has been really hyped as the next big thing by the Red Bull team and the press. Eddie Jordan described him as a future world champion before he'd even done his first Grand Prix. The truth is though he has not set the world alight at HRT. How can one set the world alight at HRT I hear you ask to which I say - good point! Although he has beaten Liuzzi twice already in the races I believe he needs to get on top of him in quali too. Also he's being beaten by quite a way in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series by both Robert Wickens and Jean-Eric Vergne.

So Ricciardo - future number 1 or going going gone?
 
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It's because so much can happen in a race that I prefer to compare drivers on their qually performamce. I would echo what Rasp says about Senna too.
 
jez101 said:
It's because so much can happen in a race that I prefer to compare drivers on their qually performamce. I would echo what Rasp says about Senna too.
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I wasn't saying you in particular, I meant the majority.

Not everyone can get the best out in one or two laps, e.g. Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher.

That is why I use the race as a comparison, that is where everything matters, that is where you win points and championships in. People look at Kovalainen beating Trulli in qualiyfing, come the race it's a different story.

But I guess we don't get much action for the lower fields, so I can understand why many use qualifying performances as a comparison.
 
Slyboogy said:
I wasn't saying you in particular, I meant the majority.
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No problem here, mate :)

Slyboogy said:
Not everyone can get the best out in one or two laps, e.g. Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher.
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I wouldn't say these two were bad at qualifying and much like the way they race, given the right car can be quciker than almost anyone else at times in both race & qually. I don't think my system breaks down for me with these two guys :)

Slyboogy said:
That is why I use the race as a comparison, that is where everything matters, that is where you win points and championships in. People look at Kovalainen beating Trulli in qualiyfing, come the race it's a different story.

But I guess we don't get much action for the lower fields, so I can understand why many use qualifying performances as a comparison.
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Of course real domination is beating someone in qually and the race! So we are both at least half right!:thumbsup:
 
Slyboogy said:
Liuzzi has had a lot of bad luck the last 3 races, Suzuka he only got 2 laps in practice, none in qualifying, Korea he had to go for most of the lap with a broken front wing. Something happened in another race which I can't remember.

I have to say, Liuzzi is quite unlucky, had to share a race seat with Klien (can't remember that story correctly, but he was meant to have the second Red Bull seat), then with Force India he was in the points several times but problems occured, mechanical, bad luck, and some of his own doing, and has now been demoted to Hispania. He's getting compared to Ricciardo unfairly, when Ricciardo beats him most praise him without knowing what's happened, when it's the other way round Ricciardo was "unlucky" or had a "problem".
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I take your point Slyboogy. My observation was based purely on the stats of their head to head which is 4 - 1 in favour of Daniel. I never took into account any problems Liuzzi or Ricciardo may or may not have had, as usually luck has a way of equalling itself out, so I don't really think I was making an unfair comparison. Maybe I should've gone into more detail... but I guess all I was trying to say is that Daniel is not doing too bad at all, as people seem to be suggesting he is underperforming.
 
Finally, something to get excited about from Danny in Abu Dhabi. He must like this track :)

Qualifying: half a second faster than Luizzi
Race: was well ahead of Liuzzi and PB lap was 1s faster
 
Galahad made the comment during chat on Sunday that Ricciardo was faster than Vettel in the RB6 at the post Abu Dhabi young driver test last year so there must be something he likes about the track.
 
First time in and F1 car since Silverstone on a track he's raced at before. I think that made all the difference. That and watching Jean-Eric Vergne doing a good job in the Toro Rosso in P1 - think that might have put a firework up his exhaust pipe!
 
Jos, if it is true, then we can hopefully see how well Daniel fairs against a known quantity. With any luck there won't be too much seat hopping to making the comparison difficult!
 
Remember Lotus - caterham are using some Red Bull parts I think so a bit of favours may help plus I think someone else other than Trulli should be in the other car after the shoddy season he's had where he seems disinterested
 
Not been mentioned much on here but Mr Ricciardo scored his first world championship point at the weekend......just....by a nose from his teammate. Gonna be close between that pair.

Still well done Daniel on capping your first non-HRT race with a top ten finish.
 
What impressed me the most was that in the last few laps Ricciardo was obviously faster than Vergne but didn't do anything stupid that could have caused both cars to fall off. At his home race, to a rookie team mate, he must have been anxious to get past but he kept his cool and then when he got a good opportunity he took it cleanly.

I'm still not convinced he has raw pace but he racecraft seems good.
 
I lost sight of him in turn 1, i think he got swallowed up, found himself in the bunch then damaged the front wing.
 
He was 16th at the end of lap 1, having started 6th already 9.7s behind. He lost another place on lap 2. He pitted early but didn't get an undercut - staying 17th by the time it was all dusted. Then he lost 3s on lap 15 and another 2s on lap 18 as he was passed by Vergne and then Petrov. He then fitted used softs at his second stop and was pretty much the slowest non-Cosworth car on those tyres.

Bit of a nightmare, I think.
 
Just watched the start again. Danny was 11th as he made the apex at turn 1 so he lost 5 places right there to Grosjean, Alonso, Raikkonen, Massa and Perez. By the time he reached turn 4 he was 12th after Senna had passed him. Then Di Resta went past through five and six then Kobayashi by the time he hit the back straight. He tried taking the place back from Kobi, ran wide and was passed by Vergne. Then Maldonado went by into the final corner.

Top marks for David Croft calling it live. I've had to pause it and rewind to check but a couple of times he noted Ricciardo losing positions, "hes going backwards faster than he is going forwards".
 
No obvious contact that I saw I'm afraid. You are right though, he did get some damage.
 

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