Daniel Ricciardo reveals how he punished himself for bad F1 races

Daniel Ricciardo, VCARB, Visa, RB, Bahrain, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Daniel Ricciardo reveals how he punished himself for bad F1 races

Daniel Ricciardo recently revealed just how harsh an F1 driver can be on themselves

Originally written by Sheona Mountford. This version is a translation.

Monday 6 April 2026 21:00

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed some pretty bleak details about his mindset during his F1 career.

He's not the only driver who's admitted that the constant pressure of the spotlight and grind of the sport got to him at points in his career, but he is the latest.

Ricciardo competed at Red Bull, Renault, McLaren and Racing Bulls during his F1 career, securing eight-grand prix victories when he was at the peak of his powers. But behind the wide smile presented to the world and the media, was a rather harsh mentality he's started to challenge in retirement.

Ricciardo: I think we are very harsh on ourselves

During a recent interview with Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, Ricciardo was asked to impart some advice and emphasised the importance of finding your job fun.

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Looking back on his mindset in the sport, Ricciardo said: "Look, racing, I learned that, you know, I would only allow myself to have fun if I had a good result.

"Living in that black and white is, in hindsight, I don't think was a healthy way to do it and go about it. If I would go and even have dinner with my family or friends after a race that I didn't perform well in, I would feel like, oh, I don't deserve to be eating a nice meal tonight, for example.

What is Daniel Ricciardo doing now?

Since leaving F1 after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, Ricciardo has entered retirement and is instead focusing on personal projects such as his apparel brand Enchante.

Ricciardo was also named a Global Ford Racing Ambassador last year, enjoying show runs in the Ford Raptor and taking part in promotional events for the legendary manufacturer.

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