Right now, being a Daniel Ricciardo fan is tough. To see him being dominated by his young and ultra quick teammate, Lando Norris, makes me worry for his future. ‘The Honey Badger’ as he is known has had a tough start to the 2022 Formula 1 season currently sitting 11th in the drivers standings, having scored only 11 points compared to Lando’s 48. 

When he left Red Bull after the 2018 season, many argued that it was not the right move for him. He was clearly the second driver behind up and coming Dutch superstar and last year’s champion, Max Verstappen, but he still had his place in the team. With a great car that suited his driving style underneath him, it surprised many that he moved. After 14 DNF’s in two seasons, Ricciardo made the switch to Renault, who ironically, provided Red Bull with their engine over those two seasons. 

His first season at Renault was not what he had hoped it would be. His reliability problems came back to haunt him and he managed just 54 points compared to his last two Red Bull seasons with 200 and 170 respectively. In 2020, however, his career took a turn for the better as he managed to come 5th in the championship with two podium finishes. 

Despite a very strong 2020 season, Ricciardo decided to switch teams again and moved to Mclaren. I didn’t necessarily agree with this move as he had finally settled in at Renault and was the certified number one driver. 2021 was a strong season for Danny Ric finishing with 115 points, including a win at Monza. 

His teammate Lando Norris is rapid and there’s no denying that. The car suits his driving style much more than Ricciardo and Mclaren have thrown all their chips towards backing Lando. CEO Zak Brown even came out a couple of weeks ago and said that Ricciardo hasn’t been meeting the team’s expectations. F1 is a cut-throat sport and it doesn’t take much for a team to pull the plug on a contract. Despite every team having two drivers who are classified as ‘teammates’, the easiest way to compare drivers is comparing them with their teammates. Most teammates have good relationships off track but F1 is all about performing on track. Right now, Lando is smashing Danny who is contracted until the end of next season, but at this stage it’s hard to see him keeping his seat. 

Always with a smile on his face, Ricciardo seems to be able to keep his problems and feelings internal but surely all the talk is making him lose some confidence. At the same time, it’s likely giving him a challenge to prove everyone wrong. F1 drivers have to have the want to be the quickest driver in the world and Danny definitely still wants to be. Obviously, with the car he is driving he can’t be the quickest, but he can be quicker. 

If an F1 driver ever loses the hunger or motivation to be the quickest driver on the grid, then they may as well give up their seat there and then. I don’t think that he has lost the hunger. He certainly hasn’t just simply lost his talent. Whilst he may never have achieved his full potential, he is still one of the best drivers that Australia has ever produced. As an Australian F1 fan it’s hard to see him this way. I really hope that he can fix whatever is going on and save his career. 

Photography credit: Clive Mason