F1 EXCLUSIVE: ‘Painful’ Daniel Ricciardo experience unveiled in sporting return talks

daniel ricciardo, vcrab, red bull, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

GPFans Exclusive

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Painful’ Ricciardo experience unveiled in F1 return talks

Daniel Ricciardo went back and forth between teams during his F1 career

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 24 January 2025 21:58 Updated: 21:35

A 'painful' experience relating to Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo's time with a former team has been recalled in an exclusive interview with GPFans.

The fan-favourite driver was axed from the sport following the Singapore Grand Prix last season, having failed to meet the standards required of him on track by the Red Bull Racing family.

F1 HEADLINES: McLaren announce major signing as Ricciardo RETURN talks surface

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Ricciardo got his big break into the pinnacle of motorsport thanks to Red Bull, signing to the team's junior programme in 2007. It wasn't until 2009 however that he made his debut behind the wheel of an F1 car, testing for Christian Horner's outfit in the young driver test.

As has become the norm at Red Bull, Ricciardo made his official F1 debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with HRT, replacing Narain Karthikeyan midway through the season, starting his career in the same way it has now seemingly ended.

In 2012 and 2013, Ricciardo then raced for the Red Bull junior team, at the time known as Toro Rosso, before being promoted to the main team alongside Sebastian Vettel.

Daniel Ricciardo raced for Red Bull between 2014 and 2018

In 2024, Daniel Ricciardo appeared at Goodwood Festival of Speed in celebration of Red Bull's 20th anniversary

David Coulthard delivers verdict over Ricciardo's career slump

In what many fans and pundits would consider to be Ricciardo's career peak, the 35-year-old achieved all but one of his eight career grand prix victories during his time at Red Bull.

Standing his ground against back-to-back champion Vettel, Ricciardo then went on to partner Max Verstappen in what the Dutchman has since revealed was his favourite driver pairing to be a part of.

In a bizarre career move thought largely to be down to Ricciardo's reluctancy to be seen as Red Bull's number two driver behind Verstappen, he left the team he had achieved success with so far in his career, switching to Renault for 2019.

After the move failed to provide the Aussie star with an opportunity to frequently fight for podiums and victories, he signed a contract with McLaren, heading to the papaya outfit for 2021.

Daniel Ricciardo's last F1 victory was at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix with McLaren

Aside from an iconic GP win at Monza, the version of Ricciardo that was much-loved by his adoring fans began to slip away, the F1 driver evidently unhappy at the team.

His tenure at McLaren marked the beginning of the end, with the team choosing to terminate his contract early, leaving him without a full-time seat for 2023.

Having returned to the sport with the Red Bull family since being dropped by McLaren, it now seems Ricciardo is content living life to the fullest off track, although his millions of fans would likely love to see him return as a pundit after his success on Netflix docuseries, Drive to Survive.

Now, in an exclusive conversation with GPFans, former Red Bull racer and pundit David Coulthard has discussed Ricciardo's chances of returning to F1 in a media-focused role, highlighting how tough it was to see the star in a career slump.

David Coulthard remains a part of the Red Bull family in a brand ambassador role

"For whatever reason, and Daniel lives with himself so he'll have a better idea than I, for whatever reason after Renault it just looked difficult for him," Coulthard commented.

"He just wasn't able to achieve the performances that he did at Red Bull and you know, McLaren was painful to watch.

"Likewise [at RB] he hasn’t achieved the targets that had been set for him."

Discussing Ricciardo's chances at making a return to the paddock having been sacked by RB last year, Coutlhard added: "Media-wise, especially at this time with where the sport is, he's already established a base in America. I think he could have a very successful career."

READ MORE: Ricciardo spotted in NEW team gear

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

F1 Christian Horner Daniel Ricciardo Sebastian Vettel Singapore Grand Prix Red Bull Racing