F1 2025: Daniel Ricciardo was 'great' at one thing other drivers hate

Daniel Ricciardo

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Daniel Ricciardo was 'great' at one thing other drivers hate - F1 star's mum

Daniel Ricciardo was sacked by RB midway through the 2024 season

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 24 April 2025 21:56 Updated: 08:52

Formula 1 star Oscar Piastri's mum Nicole Piastri has described yet another way in which Daniel Ricciardo is an F1 'great'.

Ricciardo raced in F1 between 2011-2024, but was axed midway through last season from Red Bull's junior team following some dismal performances.

The Australian was outclassed by much less experienced team-mate Yuki Tsunoda throughout the year, prompting Red Bull to give youngster Liam Lawson the seat from the 2024 United States Grand Prix onwards.

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With no viable options on the grid for 2025, and a return in 2026 looking unlikely for the 35-year-old, it appears Ricciardo's F1 career is over, with the fan favourite notching up eight wins and 32 podiums across his time in the sport.

Now, fellow Australian Piastri is taking over the mantle for the country, claiming three wins in the first five races of the season, and leading the championship, 10 points ahead of British team-mate Lando Norris.

Piastri replaced Ricciardo at McLaren back in 2023, and has gone from strength to strength ever since, still just 24 years old. One thing that has been noticed about Piastri is his cool, calm demeanour, particularly when handling difficult questions from the media.

Now, his mum Nicole Piastri has explained that no driver loves being in front of the media, but that Ricciardo knew how to deal with it: "To be honest I don’t know that any of them love it," she explained in an interview with 4BC. "I mean, Danny Ric was great at it."

Will Piastri win the world championship?

It was Ricciardo's cheeky grin and hilarious interviews with media that made the Australian such a hit among fans, and that is something Piastri will be hoping to emulate as he continues his rise in the sport.

However, the pair seem to have completely differing personalities, and Piastri's dry humour on social media and during media days ahead of race weekends has allowed him to win over fans, particularly younger F1 fans.

It remains to be seen whether he can go one better than Ricciardo and become the first Australian driver since Alan Jones in 1980 to win the world championship, but he has the tools to be able to do just that in 2025.

Ricciardo's best championship finish was third in 2014 and 2016, but he goes down as an icon of the sport nonetheless.

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Red Bull McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Daniel Ricciardo Yuki Tsunoda