How Daniel Ricciardo went from F1's best driver to sacked twice

[@cbrown182]

Daniel's F1 career reminds me a bit of Jean Alesi. Very popular, so much promise and started so well, but you only saw flashes of his brilliance as his career fizzled out with every team move. What could have been.

[@diogocmx]

Indeed, that's a great analogy.

[@alexpeak16]

Alesi is a bit different because he was lumped with dreadful cars in 1992 and ‘93, then seemed to lose his way when he lost his Ferrari seat to Schumacher and went to Benetton for 1996. Ricciardo had decent but never title contending cars at RBR.

[@ailabyuhphage08]

Dani Ric is more akin to Gerhard Berger: a very friendly personality, humor and all, had also flashes of brilliance but lost its prime&shine being driver#2 to a certain senna. had also that 1 past-prime win before bowing down into mediocrity. i believe Ric's in a relationship to a berger daughter?

[@jiboo6850]

@@alexpeak16 yeah Alesi lost his mojo when he arrived at Benneton for a good reason. he thought the car was very good because it won the previous year championship. what he didn't see coming is that almost the entire team has been changed. many engineers folowed Schumi. therefore, Benneton wasn't what it was anymore. a championship winning team. it was sort of a "no brainer" for him to move there. until he saw that it wasn't what he signed for. of course he was sad to lose Ferrari seat, but he really thought he could make his way with Benneton anyway. beeeep NOT.

[@jiboo6850]

@@ailabyuhphage08 he didn't lose his prime to Senna lol. Senna literally elevated Berger to a better driver. like Berger said back then "i was faster than ever, grace to him (Senna), yet he was always in front of me". what really hurted Berger is his 1st big crash at Imola 89 where he caught fire. and secondly, when he came to the conclusion that he will never have the opportunity to win a DC. only left over races here and there. imagine how far behind he would've been had Senna not being his friend and thought few things about handling a racecar ? absolute carnage.

[@JamesGavin-j5u]

I actually think the 2020 season was his best tbh. He was absolutely fantastic in his Renault that year, scoring two podiums and a bunch of other great results (not to mention consistently great race pace) in spite of that teams issues to finish 5th in the championship. After that season, his career completely fell apart and he was never the same again outside of Monza 2021.

[@joshgee8714]

Yeah I agree in the 5th best car

[@thealtchemist.x]

Karma. He fucked Renault over by going to Mclaren. Then he got beaten by Norris who made a fraction of what Mclaren paid Ric.

[@DabDabGoose]

A race that goes under the radar is what he did at Spa, Got fastest lap there whilst on the same strat as Max and the Mercs and was starting to reel them in at the end, pure insanity.

[@Reznor_Meeks]

He should’ve never left Renault Cyril literally lost his job because of Daniel The team at the time moved mountain's for him, I think he would’ve had a much more dignified career there. Impacted Renault at the time so bad that the team never recuperated from that blow.

[@Seafury18]

You could also argue that without ricciardo leaving, Alonso would have never returned to the grid. Alonso can go to Mclaren... but I doubt a 3rd chance at Mclaren would be anything but possible

[@3rdGenGuy]

dude shouldn't have left redbull. anyway, dude spent his glory years in a mid pack team. eventually you age and get slower, and that's it.

[@Sebastian.Rd.Arellano]

DR was never serious, that's about it

[@user-xp9hu8sg9o]

Agreed

[@Neishy4AGTE]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[@rossrreyes]

1:07 LOOK at that little kid behind Daniel

[@bumblebity2902]

The kid who killed his career and show like he did to Seb that he is Newey's merchant

[@lando-h7r]

How long have you been a fan of my racing

[@carobahena6134]

“Im going to destroy you once and for all” 😂😂😂

[@Drrolfski]

Maxieeee!

[@ericmcmanus5179]

Hahahaha. The shark waiting to pounce.

[@carguy7627]

He had a good career. Watching racing for a long time has taught me that champions are not only fast but adaptable, consistent, and mentally strong. Watching from the outside it seems that Daniel's adaptability had limits that prevented him from being a "great". He still had a career to be proud of though.

[@SiVlog1989]

Ed Straw summed up Ricciardo best in the video about drivers who joined teams as they slumped, referring to his 2014 season where he trounced Sebastian Vettel. "(...) while Vettel floundered, Ricciardo starred. He built his reputation for epic race day charges, and outrageous overtaking, and snatched 3 unlikely wins. It was an extraordinary performance, but if he had produced that kind of form in any of the previous 4 Red Bulls, he'd have been World Champion, rather than a very distant third in the points,"

[@Hughmongus555]

Maybe, you have to consider his teammate also. I don't know if max would step aside and let ricardo win the title.

[@SiVlog1989]

@Hughmongus555 well, he and Verstappen were relatively evenly matched over their 2.5 years as team mates, but Ricciardo would have known, by 2018, with Verstappen improving all the time that age wasn't on his side (he's just over 8 years older than Verstappen) and the team was more likely to throw their weight behind someone younger with more potential. This wasn't necessarily the team being harsh, it's just the way motorsport goes, the younger driver with more room for improvement and potential is the one the teams tend to rally round, helping them improve. Ricciardo knew this was happening, and coupled with being less than impressed at the team not firmly blaming one driver over the other over the team wipeout in Baku 2018, he felt Verstappen was more to blame as he felt he'd changed direction in the braking zone, he wanted out. It was just unfortunate that at the time he left, there was no seat available at another top team. The gamble failed at Renault, even though it just about suited his driving style, but McLaren truly showed his short coming, as the video showed

[@FreddyMacT]

@@SiVlog1989 max was a literal teenager... max slumped him by 2 tenths+ at the end of their time at RBR.

[@Hughmongus555]

@@FreddyMacT yes but max wasn't just any teenager, although he was known by the nickname Crashtappen at the time he improved a lot afterward. In all fairness its hard to think of a situation where ricardo stays at redbull and doesnt go to renault and gets to beat max as a teammate.

[@FreddyMacT]

@@Hughmongus555 He was never beating Max after 2018, and it had nothing to do with preferential treatment. Max reached another level that Ricciardo was never really at in his career.

[@SyBo27]

What I find the most heartbraking about his path is that you can't really see any wrong decision in his career choices. He left Red Bull, because he felt it was too early to settle for a support act and he left Renault, because he thaught McLaren had more potential to rise up, which he couldn't have been more correct about in hindsight. All in all he did everything correctly to ensure himself the best chance of succes, it just didn't work out that way.

[@jasperli]

He left RBR for Renault partly because of the incoming Honda engine. Back then Honda was a hit or miss, they just came off the back of their disastrous McLaren partnership & were rebuilding with STR. RIC chose to stick with the devil he knew, along with the promises of Abiteboul that Renault would make huge investments to bring the team to the front of the grid.

[@TassieLorenzo]

" *he did everything correctly* to ensure himself the best chance of succes" *Except* for changing his driving technique to optimise the strengths & minimise the weaknesses of the McLaren, despite much coaching from McLaren engineers on how to do so. By comparison, Piastri was able to do so almost immediately. Oh well.

[@takumifujiwara13954]

​​@@TassieLorenzoMcLaren is Piastri's first full-time drive, and it probably already suit his driving style right from the get-go. Ricciardo already has his distinct driving style that was already established from his Red Bull days. He had to try to change it at McLaren or risk being at the back of the pack all the time.

[@reecerox2]

@@TassieLorenzo Do you genuinely think it would be easy for an F1 driver to unlearn 5 years of technique?

[@aslamnurfikri7640]

I remember Red Bull was willing to give Daniel everything to stay in 2019 but he left for Renault anyway because he didn't want that Honda engine

[@billmcdonald4335]

He was the late-braker of late-brakers. Boy could be in another time zone and make it to the apex ahead of you. Sublime.

[@TassieLorenzo]

Which would have been excellent. Except actually his driving style was early braking like Verstappen, so not suited to the McLaren car that loses downforce with a lot steering lock.

[@robertcarr4172]

Gee i almost forgot how hideous those 2014 cars were

[@WernerRachtman]

Same here, I lost all hope 13 and didnt watch for probably 3-4 years

[@AlexisPerez-qk8ho]

Really? I actually liked them haha not my favorite, but still pretty cool.

[@THIS---GUY]

the overall size was so much better

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

The higher noses is way worse.

[@ihavewaited90daystochangem51]

​@@F1ll1nTh3Blanks no

[@HabitualLine-Stepper]

Ricciardo gave up his RB15 because of Verstappen, but it could be worse. Because of Verstappen, Daniil Kyvat lost his RB12, then his girlfriend and his kid.

[@carobahena6134]

😂🤣😂

[@gabrieldias3479]

*insert meme "Hide yo wives, hide yo kids" here*

[@ishqiahmed4315]

@@gabrieldias3479hide yo red bull contract aswell

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

Obligatory, this is a joke disclaimer, for those that think its legit.

[@THIS---GUY]

@@HabitualLine-Stepper today f1dank on reddit had the most savage post about Max stealing everything LOL

[@flamingburitto]

1:07 if you go back in time and tell people that that little kid behind Daniel will be the one who causes Daniel to make a career ruining move while kid becomes a 3x world champion, people would've called you crazy. In an alternate timeline Daniel never left redbull and him and max became the fiercest driver pairing in F1 history.

[@rivingtonandstanton]

Yes, it’s interesting to contemplate the alternate realities for him had he made different decisions. Had he stayed at Red Bull and transitioned to the 2nd driver, he may well have evolved more successfully into the modern, technical era. Although, even if that had happened, I wonder if he’d be moving on now anyway. F1 and RB are different beasts now.

[@georgthesecond]

Wonder if 2021 would've played out differently with Daniel in the other seat.

[@LeadFarmer_84]

And we were THIS close to a Ricciardo/Verstappen title fight next year. 😑 Red Bull made the call to fire Perez before investors stepped in.

[@festivetreat316]

​@@LeadFarmer_84 ???? Daniel can't even beat norris & tsunoda in the same machinery

[@classicsportclassictiyl8547]

@@georgthesecond I think Red Bull win both titles with Daniel in the second seat because he could handle the high rake Red Bull concept of 2012-21. (2012 because at that time Red Bull were exploiting increasing the car's rake prior to Ricciardo joining)

[@MaCcAM40a3]

I think that final Renault season was highly impressive. To put what was the fifth fastest car to fifth in the championship that year was honestly pretty incredible

[@mrdraw2087]

I would say Ricciardo is a bit like Vettel and Räikkönen: insanely good in the right car, but mediocre otherwise. Vettel was impressive during the V8 era, but struggled in 2014 and 2020 especially in cars with a strong front end. Räikkönen struggled with cars with a weak front end in his Ferrari days, which is probably why he got beaten so comprehensively by Alonso and Vettel from 2014 to 2018. Even back in 2008, a mid-season change to the front suspension completely derailed his title campaign. Ricciardo had the same problem during his McLaren days. The 2021 car didn't suit his driving style and neither did the ground-effect cars.

[@BenediktWindisch]

Its such a shame but He made the wrong decisions at the wrong time with leaving RedBull for Renault. Id love to see him longer but the drivers which started at the beginning of the 2010s like Bottas or Perez all seem to fall apart and behind the Leclercs, Norris, Piastris and Verstappens of today While Perez already got his shot at a frontrunner Team, I think Riccardo and Bottas derserve another shot at a frontrunner Team. But the new stars like Piastri, Colapinto, Lwasons deserve a shot as well of course. 12 Teams like 2010 could solve these problems. There are too much great talent from "past", present and future who should BE in F1

[@coreytrevor3910]

Ric and Bottas are only good because the cars were that good. Its why Bottas is in the back of the pack with a back of the pack car....same with Ric. His great "years" came at needed merc to fail and make mistakes. Sure hes a good driving, but he was never a championship level driving and never will be.

[@davids8127]

Daniel made a bid to be a first driver, but he failed to even prove he is a better 2nd driver than Perez (although I wouldn't say he is worse it makes no sense to take the risk of swapping them). He could've been this eras Barichello or Massa but he flew too close to the sun.

[@Appletank8]

Bottas isn't even all that much better than Zhou, so either Zhou's that good or Bottas is merely okay. Sure the green car is pretty shit, but your teammate has the same shit car.

[@youngwasabi209]

Ricciardos größter Fehler war der Wechseln von RedBull zu Renault. Obwohl er Mateschitz und Marko per Handschlag zugesichert hat, den vertrag für 2019 zu verlängern, wechselte er zu Renault. Bei RedBull hatte er ein Auto was, 1. zu seinem Fahrstil passte und 2. jedes Jahr (Ausnahme 2015) siegfähig war. Für mich wirkte der Wechsel eher wie eine Flucht vor Verstappen. Er wollte den Kampf nicht annehmen und entschied sich für den leichten Weg bei Renault, sowie dem Geld. Wäre er bei RedBull geblieben hätte er noch einige Siege feiern können und wäre ab 2020 im zweitbesten Auto gesessen. Am Ende hat er es in drei Jahren mit 3 verschiedenen Autos nicht geschafft an die alte Leistung anzuknüpfen. Und damit sich einen weiteren Platz auch nicht mehr verdient.

[@bumblebity2902]

Nah, he have 0 motivation to be Max wingman. He never want to be second coming of Mark Webber. Since 2021 he would've worked for Max.

[@huplim]

Hope to see Danny back in another race series. What a talent and personality. Hope to see him smiling again.

[@lando-h7r]

How long have you been a fan of my racing

[@killer13387]

*personality

[@f1jones544]

The statue he had commissioned of himself in celebration of his F2-speed win at Monaco will always be smiling...

[@edgardoMurnia]

creeeepy

[@levymulenga1059]

If he goes to the WEC it'll be the best move, you never know, maybe win Le Mans? Or Daytona in IMSA. There always something on the table for a driver of his caliber. Many drivers that haven't won the F1 WDC have managed to win championships in other race series. So I am still hopeful that he'll do better elsewhere.

[@jankku5639]

Fuss about Ric is quite suprising. I get that the guy for some reason is popular but he has been at best better than Bottas and half career below average driver in the later years. I hear no talk about Bottas propably leaving F1 aswell even though he is one of closest comparisons in terms of driving results and abilities.

[@Astaroth23]

Dude....how long do you watch f1?

[@AD-df5tm]

​@@Astaroth23he's right. Riccardo is easily the most overrated driver of this generation. The bottas comp is spot on. Was good in a top car but not good enough to beat his teammate and then when he wasnt in a top car he was avg at best.

[@Appletank8]

He's probably more popular for his showing on Netflix than outright racing.

[@edgardoMurnia]

@@Astaroth23 Fking Bot

[@videoaccount5676]

He was never "F1's best driver" just very good at one time.

[@LukoBala]

i swear to god these danny fans are totally... what JV said about his prime is so true. The fans also brag that Ric won for mclaren in 2021... in a race where the best drivers had issues or DNF. It's also how he won his first race. Such a joke.

[@AD-df5tm]

Yeah saying he was ever the best driver is straight up insane. During Riccardos career you had Vettel win 4 WDC. Lewis win 6 WDC and Max win 3 WDC. At no point was he anywhere near the best driver.

[@cypherzeros]

I was thinking the same thing. What are they smoking? LOL

[@ReaperThugX]

Yeah. He won a handful of races, but never finished higher than 3rd in a season. So third best driver two times…

[@upscaleshack]

Consistency is key to being "the best" and winning multiple WDC's. Ricciardo has proven to be wildly inconsistent. Flashes of brilliance followed by long periods of mediocrity. That doesn't make anyone "best" at anything.

[@DeathBlocks]

I love the amount of comments from people who either didn't watch the video or just ignored it. You can't argue that he wasn't one of the best for a few years during his Red Bull days, that is just absurd. Yes he had a really bad 4 years to end his career, but that doesn't mean he didn't have an amazing 4 years. I don't agree that he was ever the best, but looking at his performance with the big advantage that Mercedes and Ferrari (In 2017 and 2018) had it is clear that he was at least as good as some other beloved 1 time champions or almost champions.

[@edgardoMurnia]

No. He wasn't. Ever. Even Close. To. Be. The Best. Driver. In . The freaking World. Not.Even.CLOSE

[@41Nizmo]

@@edgardoMurnia are you mexican?

[@edgardoMurnia]

@@41Nizmo How could that possibly matter? Ricciardo overrated and Sergio Perez is not overrated unless you think he's good

[@justice4g]

Following VCARB closely including radio comms throughout a weekend showed me how rarely results come down to driving performance, 90% were determined by strategy or other random events.

[@jecabreradc]

Great video. thanks. 🎉🎉

[@SpacialKatana]

Respectful video for a decent career, wish hin well for the future

[@ragemydream]

Ricciardo career: Sporadic. If he wasn't scared of getting beat and then chasing after money, he might actually been a great driver but it was good at best.

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

lets not forget he moved to mcclaren who are now the best team. so many poor career choices

[@rjharikumar6555]

Can we stop with this “chasing money” bullshit? Dude took a substantial pay cut to go from Renault to McLaren. If money was his primary concern, he would never have left Renault.

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

​@@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n Would have done nothing for him because he simply couldn't adapt.

[@Tofu_food]

@@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.nbut McLaren being better now wasn’t rics doing.

[@jiboo6850]

@@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n he didn't move, he got fired with a massive paycheck. to put Piastri in his seat lol. but it was his fault. he wasn't performing.

[@Pyrope78]

Good drivers get slow, 'twas ever thus. The recent archetype of this is probably Jean Alesi, but you could also point to Rene Arnoux, Nelson Piquet Sr., Seb Vettel, Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Michele Alboreto, and many, many more, who were all dynamite in their early years but faded significantly once they got into their thirties.

[@apophisstr6719]

Vettel was probably the one that fell the hardest, since that Germany crash he literally became a different man.

[@Pyrope78]

@@apophisstr6719 Noooo, not by a long way. At least he was still a regular top 10 finisher, and was usually on or about the lead lap. Arnoux probably holds this title. He went from being a multiple race winner with Renault and in his early Ferrari years, to being the archetypal moving chicane backmarker, near the rear of the field, many-times lapped.

[@craigcharlesworth1538]

To be fair you've also got Alonso and Hamilton, still operating at a very high level into their 40s. But it's rare, most drivers probably peak in their early 30s and slowly tail off after that. It sometimes happens quite quickly too; look at Damon Hill who was a race winner in 1998 and looked like he'd never even sat in an F1 car before at times in 1999. With Daniel I think it was a combination of him naturally aging out and that McLaren stint, which just knocked all the confidence out of him.

[@JustinW2980]

If he had beaten Lando in 2021, would he be fighting for the championship now?

[@THIS---GUY]

@@JustinW2980 If your grandmother had wheels, would she have been a bike?

[@frankhuurman3955]

if your mum had balls, would she have been your dad?

[@joshgee8714]

​@@THIS---GUYI love British carbonara

[@MrLarsson92]

How can you not mention the shoey celebration?? It was so brilliant and a way that Ricciardo really put his mark on the sport, highlighting his playful personality 🤩

[@dragstera94]

At some point He brought many new fans to the sport

[@squiretomasie7003]

I think his smile and personality took him along way.

[@NicolasMignan]

You say Ricciardos last few years isn't the Ricciardo you'll be celebrating, yet the last few years of Vettels career is all you remember of it 😂

[@MuhammadNiz007]

Facts

[@halofreak1990]

Mostly because of the memes. His 2010-2013 straight titles are more celebrated, though.

[@lando-h7r]

How long have you been a fan of my racing

[@HaydenLau.]

Those were not Vettel's last year's. He would go on to two different teams afterwards

[@jiboo6850]

honestly, Vettel is everything i hate a bout a driver. so i don't care about his wins. he was undrinkable. he was so unable to adapt to anything it was just pure cringe. his career last years speak more volume than his wins.

[@rafamorsal]

You guys are so infatuated by Ricciardo, you didn't made this drama when Vettel or Kimi retired, and they both were world champions... I'll never understand this media fixation with the guy.

[@DaveHoy1]

Loved this! Thanks Race Guys!. Diagnosis; Ground effect! Cars too big! Natural driving style clearly matters.

[@DB5652-v3r]

he should have never left redbul, he would be mighty regular poles and wins to this day even if he didnt win any championships

[@calvinstraveldreams]

I would say that Danny Ric kinda reminds me of Heinz-Harald Frentzen-clearly capable of greatness when given the full backing of the team and a supportive environment to work in, but a bit more prone to stress-induced drops in performance (and random mistakes induced by stress and pressure) than most…

[@gilius]

He cracked when he could not stand Max... Stepping out of Red Bull was the beginning of the end...

[@DB5652-v3r]

redbull would never sack him if he stayed, they offered him more money he could have won alot of races too but he got duped by renault leader who made empty promises

[@LeadFarmer_84]

Just glossed over VCARB's absolutely abysmal race strategies all year. Pitting after 7 laps on MEDIUMS and Zandvoort. Going 50 out of 51 laps on ONE TIRE at Baku. Going soft/medium/soft at Singapore when everyone else went medium/hard. Daniel didn't get the chance to prove his worth this year. And it's painfully obvious the only reason he didn't replace Perez was Mexican investors pulling the strings at Red Bull.

[@upscaleshack]

How many more chances should he be given? He's been given more chances than most drivers ever get. Sure the team sucked, but when he's replaced by a complete rookie who outshines him it's clear that it's him, not the car.

[@kevikiru]

They did not gloss over it, it just did not matter! You are suggesting that the bad strategies held him back. You are forgetting that the points would not matter, his pace when the STRATEGY IS GOOD is what matters. He needed to outperform Yuki in a majority of the races where they were on equal footing and he didn't. The bad strategies are irrelevant because they happened in a couple of races, the rest of the races were normal.

[@mrdraw2087]

The former Toro Rosso team has never been good at race strategy, but these examples are not the most compelling. This year alone they made several very dubious strategy calls. I remember Tsunoda losing places with every pitstop in Bahrain, after which he had to move over for Ricciardo for good measure. He was understandably livid. They pitted Ricciardo way too early in Hungary, which ruined his race. He was understandably livid, although they must have discussed their strategy options beforehand, so he could just have decided to stay out and say: "I'm not gonna stop after just 7 laps." Then in the Netherlands Tsunoda once again had a horrible strategy.

[@housecat84]

@@kevikirupoints are also largely irrelevant for a team like VCARB given their car has been hovering around 6th-8th best car on the grid, depending on the circuit. Then there’s there strategy calls mentioned, which have sabotaged both drivers at times. This is not a top of the mid pack team, not for sometime now. They languish behind HAAS, Williams and even Alpine at times. Usually, luck has been a part of scoring points, particularly after HAAS and Williams upgrades fired. VCARB faltered in that respect.

[@decapitare117]

God watching this video seeing just how good he was is almost bringing me to tears.

[@yanis_s500]

I still dont understand, how he can not adopt to the new cars! Of course, it is not as easy as it might sound, but lets not forget that he is 100% capable of learning new skills and driving methods, since he was on top a couple of years ago. He is one of my favourite F1 drivers and it hurts to see him leaving like this. I think that the very best, yet worst thing about Daniel is that he is such a nice and positive guy with a big smile always on his face - Sometimes, you need to put your head down, silence the world and just have pure focus on racing! You see a complately different mentality when it comes to Max Verstapen - very serious, very dedicated, pure focus and nothing else matters. The same look in the face I saw in Schumacher and Sienna. In comparison, Daniel is most of the time trying to be a nice person pleasing others. If there is any future for him in F1, I would recommend to just live and breath racing and forget about the rest. Pure focus, day to day dedication.

[@joshtiel2980]

Ed did a good job of breaking it all down. It's tough to see Danny Ric go but he's been fighting the nature of the car in a way that hasn't been natural to him and we've been able to see that. Thanks Ed for highlighting that Ricciardo is part of that select group of drivers that had the skill but not the car. Sometimes F1 timing sucks. He should have had a better sendoff...

[@edgardoMurnia]

Coping soooo fuccing hard

[@cathh3301]

10:59 Perfect summary of a great diver on and off the track. He’ll be missed in F1.

[@RedEyedReaper]

That title is diabolical!!!!

[@Redenzo29]

It’s the truth

[@soundscape26]

@@Redenzo29 Was Danny Ric ever F1's best driver?

[@sudenostendeutschland9794]

Damn what a title.

[@lando-h7r]

How long have you been a fan of my racing

[@edgardoMurnia]

@@lando-h7r shut up pole losing fanboy

[@alexelectricx]

Goes to show having a winning personality will only get you so far in life!

[@c0mpl3x91]

Weirdly you didn't mention his bright smile and that he always brought positivity into the pits...

[@progguy10]

I really gonna miss the old Daniel

[@pharcomx]

He was never F1’s best driver. Good yes, but best? Hardly.

[@kcw9313]

What were they watching? Lmao he wasn’t even close.

[@prabhukavi9779]

There was a year where the only people who could beat him were the drivers in the much faster Mercedes. Guess you started following F1 after that.

[@askeladden450]

Nah, definitely a contender for DOTS in 2014 along with Alonso.

[@pharcomx]

@@prabhukavi9779 One of those drivers was Hamilton who was better than Ricciardo. So what point are you making exactly?

[@askeladden450]

@@pharcomx lewis better than dani in 2014? Dani demolished a driver who had won the last 4 championships. Lewis beat nico with a smaller percentage difference than that. Even with seb not being comfortable with those cars, dani was much more impressive. Only one who was as impressive, if not more, was Alonso.

[@thegreat0220]

Ricciardo 2021: “To all those who thought I’d left, you were right”

[@josephambrose5544]

I think daniels wins and performances in 17 and 18 deserve a bit more recognition

[@jivewig]

35 age, understeery regulation and young hungry drivers with shit load of new tools were always going to play against him.

[@robertcarr4172]

Alonso is 8 years older than him and still doing a great job. 35 shouldn't be a major excuse for losing speed anymore

[@alexpeak16]

@@robertcarr4172 Adaptability is key here - you could always trust Alonso to extract the most from bad cars (later Ferraris and McLaren-Hondas) at any age. You can't with Ricciardo.

[@jivewig]

@@robertcarr4172 your first mistake is comparing him to Alonso. Alonso isn’t a bog standard driver. He’s one of the most extraordinary ones who definitely deserved more than two titles.

[@lando-h7r]

@@robertcarr4172 How long have you been a fan of my racing

[@lando-h7r]

@@alexpeak16 How long have you been a fan of my racing

[@carobahena6134]

He got what he deserved Plus millions and fame.

[@SBX70]

I have always thought that greatness can be equated with consistency in almost any field or endeavor. Show me a body of work that stands the test of time not just a season of wins, one really great novel, one great album etc. That is the true measure, DR was a good driver but he just wasn't adaptable and couldn't produce consistent results.

[@user-xp9hu8sg9o]

He cared more about his smile, marketing, Netflix, look handsome, but forgot about his driving since he left RB Everyone on F1 uploading videos about he nice he is but how horrible he became as a driver

[@helixworld]

Ricciardo started with a competitive RB chassis in 2024, and has hampered the team's devolpment until they were overtaken by several other teams. Hopefully RB will make some progress now that Ricciardo is gone.

[@dentonator96]

I'm still bummed it's over.

[@Hamilton8timeChampion]

ricciardo was never F1's best driver. people overrate him because he is nice

[@priztucker]

5:33 Can’t imagine Kyvat actually beat Ricciardo head to head in the same car

[@michaborski7383]

Thank you

[@mlyten67]

Danny Ric was an extremely talented driver who, in the right machinery, earlier in his career, was world championship material. Unfortunately the mid teens Red Bull, while fast, was burdened with a dodgy Renault engine that has since also been shown the exit door. He was way more classy than the majority of the comments on this video, putting him down.

[@monkeh86]

I'd argue an alternate legacy could be that he was one of the 21st century's most over-rated F1 drivers to date; though because he was so charismatic and good with the media, there's hardly ever a negative word that the press have written about him.

[@silkplayer9]

You spell “Hamilton” wrong.

[@eucri]

@@silkplayer9 You could've choose any driver but instead you selected the statistically #1 driver in the sport ever💀

[@Louis_Bautista]

@@silkplayer9 The guy went toe to toe with the reigning world champion as a rookie. You can't be serious

[@DeathBlocks]

Did you look at his results from 2014-2020 at all or just going off the last few years and thinking the rest was overhyped?

[@silkplayer9]

@@DeathBlocks he had the flying ship in that hybrid era with favor regulations, after 2020 with a regular car he dropped like a rock.

[@ukiro2532]

Fernando watching daniel enter and leave F1 while still being in the sport is wild

[@chetanh1005]

Indycar 2025 Awaiting

[@B__L]

When was he F1's best driver? I don't remember that

[@rickyspanish4792]

Then probably a year before you started watching F1

[@B__L]

@@rickyspanish4792 Ahh. No real answer to my question I see.

[@rickyspanish4792]

@@B__L That's because you didn't post a real question. There's already 10 comment threads in here stating the year you're looking for, all 10 including a feisty discussion about whether or not he was indeed the best or if it was someone else.. which is missing the point, that he was world class back then.

[@B__L]

@@rickyspanish4792 My question was when was Ricciardo F1's best driver? What season? Was it 2014 when he was getting regularly spanked by Bottas in a Williams? Or was it 2016 where an 18 year old Verstappen finished only 52 points behind him despite being in a Toro Rosso for the first 4 races? Ricciardo WAS a great driver but he was also overrated by fanboys that love his personality. Now he can't even beat Tsunoda who is one of the most average drivers to come out of the RBR junior programme.

[@rickyspanish4792]

@@B__L Yeah that's what I meant, your question was in bad faith, you were just looking for a 'discussion' so you could spew your hate; I let you know I am not interested in that kind of 'discussion', but alas, I guess reading is difficult.

[@jmhofmeyr]

Its the car and how he's been required to change his style. No driver can perform at his peak if he has to fundamentally change his natural style. Our natural style is what makes us great and unique. He simply needs to rediscover that and a team where he can use it.

[@Sadokist]

Ill say it: Red Bull backed the wrong man from the start. They took Danny to F1, when they also could have elected to promote Wickens. That was one of the biggest mistakes that they ever made.

[@calado92]

Shh, HRT i forgot he started there, i feel old 😭

[@vdub1955]

= Honestly he should go over to WRC‼️

[@calado92]

A perfect example of a continously downwards carrer, from the top of beating 4x WC sebastian, to be matched and beated by Max, to went down on the grid by moving to renault (here we can say it stabled his carrer), to be beated again by Norris and to finish all beated by a poor yuki who never gonna go anywehere anyway, by many reasons other than his hability, Danny its another guy who goes to the shelf of so many others who never won as much as many of us wanted to, a similar carrer to Kubica 😢

[@bbbenj]

So sorry for him, he deserved way more...

[@eucri]

He peaked so early and then nada, what a case study.

[@MuhammadNiz007]

WOW this video is by Daniel's PR team because 2013 he was beaten by Vernge who was actually the clear best in torro rosso, Jean had 7 Quali Techinal issues that if neglected would put Daniel 3 tenths on average slower than Jean, dani kyvat was the clear faster driver with less luck and he was slower than his teammate in HRT

[@alexpeak16]

Kvyat was never faster at RBR; qualifying was often well off Ricciardo's pace and he kept driving like a man under pressure. People forget the only reason he finished ahead of Daniel in '15 was the car's poor reliability. Take that away and Ricciardo outclassed Kvyat easily. RBR were entirely justified in dropping him for Max.

[@kondjanegongo796]

Well all we know if he's gone... Good riddens

[@lando-h7r]

How long have you been a fan of my racing

[@matt.163]

Na, Ricciardo definitely had it over Vergne. Pretty comfortabley actually

[@leongt1954]

Everyone seems to forget the car breaking system changes that came in 2021 and 22 and there you have it the new changes hindered his driving style and unlike other drivers he just could never come to grips with them except for a hand full of tracks where he could adapt like Mexico , If you were to go back to the old style of breaking in 2020 you would see the old Daniel

[@durgeshsrinivasyathirajam44]

Thanks for making this video, it means a lot to be the Honey Badger’s fan

[@edgardoMurnia]

I was also a fan of Goofy when a little kid. Then I grew up

[@shanemouton7606]

Daniel, we miss you already brother, i hope this has been a massive media show to see you off only to see Redbull put you in the driver seat again for the rest of the season to replace Perez. My thoughts on this are: Perez and Ricciardo are both strong at street circuits, but Daniel has more to prove and I feel he would put more on the line that Sergio. Despite my being a Perez fan it also remains to be said that F1 is about money - money made through results, which Daniel could offer the same outcomes as Sergio might for the rest of the season whilst also bringing in potential sponsors, being the person that he is, and as popular as he is, which makes him a better choice, financially.... I hope to see Daniel back, some time soon, and I hope this is not the end!

[@Willbrse]

If F1 wasn't 80% about the car things would be different for a lot of people. They really should bring EoT from LMP1H ('14~'18) to F1. Car would still be important, but likely down to 60% at best.

[@KingofClubsMCDLXXXVIII]

these moving images are really good

[@nathobean8582]

Sorry but all I hear are excuses and “let me explain”. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ricardo, and he’s one of F1’s most likely characters, but there’s only so many excuses that can be made before you have to admit he simply isn’t that good. He was given more opportunities than most and ultimately failed to deliver.

[@rjharikumar6555]

What exactly do you mean isn’t that good? Dude was legit one of the best drivers in the sport for a good chunk of his career. I’d say that makes a hell of a lot better than “not that good”.

[@JamesGavin-j5u]

2014 - 2020 he was really good. Never been the same since his move to Mclaren but to say he 'isn't that good' is ridiculous.

[@BenFlipsCars]

Would have been good to touch on how he still beat Verstappen in 2017 and was doing so in 2018 until his car began to blow up every weekend

[@yungmustofaiwan1599]

I'll remember him as the person who introduce 'shoey' to F1

[@keithnepomuceno]

Mismatched with Mclaren and TR cars. Just put him in a RedBull since the reason Horner put him in the TR again is because his pace is close enough to Max's when he tested an slightly older Redbull car. Replacing Checo with him wouldn't hurt RB tho.

[@sammillis3989]

I love Ricciardo, when he 1st came into F1 he was deffo one of the most promising drivers. However, poor career choices and the huge surge of young talent coming into F1, the likes of Max, Charles, Lando, George, Alex and Pierre he just simply couldn't keep up with them and naturally fell further behind. The standard of F1 stepped up and he unfortunately couldn't keep up. A real shame but that's racing.

[@darkwa456]

He just wasn't fast enough don't no why everybody is making such a big deal. He started of well, then never really got to that level again

[@rickyspanish4792]

Yeah I think maybe the current generation of cars just isn't a good match for him, it happens. Or maybe it's just age.

[@jordangdahl]

I think Daniel got too hungry. He forced opportunity rather than being patient.

[@whassupg89]

Have to wonder if he was just best suited to the pre 2017 cars

[@daniel_raju]

The prince, that never became king 🥲

[@justanaverageguy1351]

I think the title is way off the mark. I'm a fan of Daniel, and as much as I like him, I can't honestly say he's ever been the best F1 driver on the grid.

[@urbanstrencan]

He should be at least one time champion, to bad how it's ended, he will be missed in the F1 paddock

[@edgardoMurnia]

No.

[@Alcatraz760]

Shame he didn't stick with Red Bull, because I really want to know how he would've performed in the 21-23 Red bulls. Because I don't see him struggling in the 21 car like his mclaren experience, but also there is a chance he might not gel with the 22 red bull.

[@pyrho1]

Unfortunately Daniel's poor decisions to leave Reb Bull and Renault were his career killers

[@ABlockBeats]

People seem to forget that he ditches RB for Renault. And that felt like a stab in the back.

[@dr350xr]

That was the beginning of his downfall. He won some races only because he was in one of the best cars. I think it made him think he’s better than he was. Lando was obviously much faster and destroyed the illusion that he was a top tier driver. I don’t think he has a great personality either. He’s corny.

[@sleepypixie8828]

his is a case of massive risk vs reward. the reward was fighting with a team that's on the up and an opportunity to cement himself as the boss of that team and the risk? we're witnessing that now

[@theoschofield1495]

He was still phenomenal in 2020, how did it go so down hill after

[@edwinmadzinga1457]

1:08 Max?

[@tonywoodward3404]

Point and squirt driver getting found out by ground effect Hell of a career all the same

[@markrimelspach7041]

Part of being a great driver is putting yourself with the best teams to thrive. Ricciardo unfortunately did not make good choices all the way from leaving Red Bull to the end of his career.

[@videshanamali5335]

Even 2017 was a underrated year for Ricciardo; unreliability and Verstappen punting him in Hungary allowed Kimi to take 3rd in the championship

[@bumblebity2902]

He never was the absolutely the best. He was top 3 with Mercedes guys. King of late breaking. On the other hand he was Newey merchant.

[@lando-h7r]

How long have you been a fan of my racing

[@jamie6669]

It's so sad Ricciardo's peak years were wasted under Mercedes dominance. He was definitely capable of becoming champion had the stars aligned (similar to Button imo), however, his downfall shows he was probably never destined to become a great. You compare him to Hamilton, Alosno. Still performing admirably at an older age and generally aren't limited by a car's driving style. Ricciardo will always be beloved, I hope we still see him around at GP, but his career will always be a "what if"

[@SilverfoxJB]

He was NEVER F1's best driver. Just F1's smilest driver.

[@InsignificantLives187]

The fact that his style and Max's is the same convinces me he would've done well in the RB20 but giving him something thats nothing like it and evaluating him based on that was never going to work.

[@InsignificantLives187]

This will be shown when Liam does amazing in the VCarb and sucks in the RB21 much like the rest of them.

[@coleprivott6140]

I think Ricciardo had some tragic timing and poor luck. He hit his prime when Mercedes was unbeatable and Red Bull wasn’t good enough, everyone says he shouldn’t have left Renault but it’s not like they’ve gotten any faster since he left, the McLaren wasn’t the car it is now and didn’t suit his driving style, and by RB he was out of his prime. I know that’s just how it goes in sports but it is unfortunate. Enjoy your life Danny Ric thanks for the memories!!!