Daniel Ricciardo was born on July 1, 1989 in Perth Australia. He has been racing in Formula 1 since 2011 and currently drives for RB.
Daniel learned his driving skills in the Australia Formula Ford and Asia-Pacific Formula BMW competitions. He has since then participated in many different competitions, and won both the Formula Renault 2.0 WEC in 2008, and the British Formula 3 Championship in 2009.
He made his debut in Formula 1 at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the HRT team as part of deal with Red Bull Racing. He competed in 11 races that season and in 2012 he completed his first full season with Toro Rosso. He spent two year with that team until he was promoted in 2014 to their sister team Red Bull Racing.
Daniel had a good run with Red Bull including multiple wins and podiums. It was at this team where he coined his signature podium move affectionately known as the “shoey”, which involves drinking the podium champagne from his racing boot. In 2019, Daniel left Red Bull and moved to Renault where he spent a brief two years before moving to McLaren in 2021.
Ricciardo had his first win at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix, and his last win was at the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. In his career he has 32 podiums, 8 wins, 3 Pole Positions, 16 DHL Fastest Laps and 1317 Career Points. He has also competed in 241 races and counting. Daniel has been racing under the number 3 for quite some time, as he is a big fan of NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt.
Daniel has earned himself the name “King of the Late Breakers” due to his daring overtakes and aggressive driving style. He has also given himself the name the “Honey Badger”. When asked about that last name, he says:
“It’s supposed to be the most fearless animal in the animal kingdom. When you look at it, he seems quite cute and cuddly, but as soon as someone crosses his territory in a way he doesn’t like, he turns into a bit of a savage and he’ll go after anything – tigers, pythons – he turns very quickly, but he’s a good guy.”
Daniel is one of my favourite drivers currently on the grid because he is a good racer and always entertaining to watch. I look forward to what this season holds for him
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