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?

 

[Angel]

Dan smiles too much for my liking. He always has that inane grin on his face which makes me unable to take him as seriously as maybe I should.

As a driver he's one of the better ones out there at the moment, he's made some moves that others simply wouldn't dare to make. Trouble is, he knows the way the dice is loaded, if he had stayed at Red Bull he'd be settling, sure he can beat Max, he's proved it many times, but the teams do like to put their eggs more in one basket than the other and Dan was probably noticing his basket was coming up a little on the light side.

Renault are making all the right noises about investment and pushing forward and so on and so forth. Red Bull are getting the Honda engine, the evidence of what that could mean for them is there for all to witness over the past few years. If Max has been whining about the Renault engine, just wait for his views on the Honda!!

If Dan can beat the Hulk then good on him, if he can't it's probably the start of a long goodbye from him in F1. He is just a talent who didn't get into the best car because when he was ready to do so they were already taken, he's not the first one it's happened to in F1 and he won't be the last either, you can guarantee that. Doesn't mean it's not a shame for him.

 

[siffert_fan]

This says it all:

Horner's Biggest Mistake? - Pitpass.com

 

[Dartman]

But was it Horner's mistake or someone else who pulls the strings?

 

[Chasz]

This says it all:

Horner's Biggest Mistake? - Pitpass.com

Thanks for sharing. The point he makes about the contract given to Max before he's really proved himself is a really good.

 

[Road of Bones]

I think they were petrified that Ferrari or Mercedes were going to swoop for him, and wanted him locked into their hutch long-term.

 

[siffert_fan]

Renault’s Ricciardo wake up call

 

[cider_and_toast]

This suggests to me a lack of confidence and leadership abilities because it is rare for a top driver to object to a team-mate.

Not a bad article until I read the quote above. I assume the author has forgotten that virtually every top driver in F1 history has vetoed a team mate or at the very least, objected to one. Prost tried to veto Senna at Williams, Senna vetoed Warwick at Lotus, Mansell tried to veto Prost at Williams. On top of all that, a number of drivers have held their number one status by contract. It's not rare in the slightest.

 

[Angel]

According to some Vettel vetoed Ricciardo at Ferrari, not sure how true that is though.

 

[Greenlantern101]

I would of thought that was obvious. Dan thrashed Seb in their last season together at Redbull. Seb doesn't want him doing the same again in the Ferrari or Sebs career would be screwed.

 

[Angel]

I would of thought that was obvious. Dan thrashed Seb in their last season together at Redbull. Seb doesn't want him doing the same again in the Ferrari or Sebs career would be screwed.

Sorry, I didn't make that clear. I get why Seb might have said it, I just wasn't sure if he actually did veto Ricciardo or if it was just a rumour that he had.

 

[vintly]

I don't buy that Seb vetoed anything. If he did veto a move because he was scared of getting beaten, that implies he thinks that Ricciardo is better than him in the same car. If the general understanding in the paddock is that Ricciardo is better than Vettel, then Ricciardo would have been snapped up by Mercedes of Ferrari long ago. But he wasn't. Hmm, why is that...?

Its because he's not better than Vettel, and the year he beat him in a Red Bull was a bad year for Seb, who didn't get along with the new car at the time and was perhaps on the lookout for a move from his once-beloved team. He was fairly beaten by Ricciardo, I'm not taking anything away from that, just that the 'veto because he's scared' argument doesn't add up.

 

[Angel]

I agree vintly When Ricciardo was Seb's team mate at Red Bull I believe they did to Seb what they've been doing to Daniel this year. They wanted to move on to a new 'special one' for want of a better term and Daniel was it, now he's seeing that they're doing it again and Max is the new 'special one'. Seb and Kimi have more or the less the same requirements in a car, Daniel has a very different style and set up to Seb and from what I read in 2014 they set the car up to suit Daniel. That sort of explains why Seb struggled so much that year and why Daniel wouldn't be such a good fit at Ferrari. If the problem was with Seb why did he go to Ferrai and immediately start winning again?

Well that's how I understand it anyway, although as an old friend of mine used to say YMMV (your mileage might vary)

 

[vintly]

I don't think Red Bull 'did to Seb what they've been doing to Daniel this year'. I think its just the natural cause of events. We seem to be ever more pre-disposed to assuming that any misfortune that befalls a driver has been contrived and created by their team bosses due to favouritism over drivers. One driver will generally be slightly or not so slightly better than the other within a team, and they are the no.1 driver because of that. Has there ever been a distinct one-two driver relationship in a team when the perceived no.1 driver is slower than the no.2? I don't think so. That's not to say favouritism doesn't exist – it just never favours the slower driver.

Daniel was quicker than Seb in 2014, but that was probably his career highlight.

 

[RasputinLives]

Daniel has been better than Verstappen all season too

 

[Chasz]

Daniel has been better than Verstappen all season too

Can someone remind me? Has Daniel been beaten by a teammate?

 

[RasputinLives]

No. But I'm sure the 'Max has so much more potential' line will be present by some soon. Being as he is on 70+ GPs I kind of think potential should have arrived.

 

[siffert_fan]

I think that Max's episodes of "brain fade" should have disappeared by now, it they are going to.

 

[Chasz]

No. But I'm sure the 'Max has so much more potential' line will be present by some soon. Being as he is on 70+ GPs I kind of think potential should have arrived.

Thanks for confirming. That's what I thought. Behind that inane grin (and thoroughly likeable chap) is a great racing driver and fierce competitor!

 

[HansyRod]

Thanks for confirming. That's what I thought. Behind that inane grin (and thoroughly likeable chap) is a great racing driver and fierce competitor!

He was beaten by JEV in 2012 and Kvyat in 2015 actually. Although at least in my opinion JEV is at least a good driver that got burned by Red Bull's machine, so take that as you will.

 

[vintly]

OMG he was indeed beaten by Kvyat in 2015!