Daniel Ricciardo was one of the biggest stars of Formula 1. Whether it was times that he won a race, or made it to the podium, the Australian driver made strong moves and impressed everyone. While he no longer races in F1, Ricciardo’s career highs are always worth looking back on, starting from his very first season to his final years in the sport.
5. 2014 Canadian Grand Prix
Daniel Ricciardo’s first-ever career win came after a qualifying performance had him start P6. Leading up to the Canadian GP, Mercedes had been performing well the whole season. But the 2014 race saw Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton retire due to technical issues.
Ricciardo also jumped ahead of his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, in the pits to emerge in P2 towards the end of the race. With only two laps to go, Nico Rosberg in the other Mercedes started facing engine trouble, which allowed the Aussie to steal the lead with the help of DRS and win the race.
4. 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix
With the taste of victory, Daniel Ricciardo headed to Hungary to secure another win. Even though Vettel had out-qualified his teammate, the mixed weather of the day allowed the young Red Bull driver a chance at the win. Although he started on intermediates, which proved tricky, Ricciardo used the safety car period caused by a crash from Sergio Perez to switch to slick tires.
By doing so, he was able to overtake Lewis Hamilton in Turn 2 and then Fernando Alonso in Turn 1. The overtake of the two World Champions allowed the Aussie to clinch his second win of the season.
3. 2018 Monaco Grand Prix
Daniel Ricciardo’s weekend at the Monte Carlo track started well after he stole the pole from Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by over a tenth of a second. This was Ricciardo’s second pole position of his career. His first pole also came at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2016.
While a lackluster pit-stop ended his chances of a win that season, he wouldn’t let it slip away again in 2018. 28 laps into the race, the Australian reported a loss of power. It was a full MGU-K failure, which had him operating without a few gears and not at peak performance.
Facing pressure from Vettel, his tires also began overheating. But, thanks to it being Monaco, Ricciardo’s skill was enough to keep the German at bay and cross the line in a limping Red Bull.
2. 2020 Eifel Grand Prix
This is the only event on this list where Daniel Ricciardo did not win the race. But, he did score a podium. It was the first-ever podium that Renault had achieved since they returned to F1 in 2016. Early on in the year, it was already announced that the Australian would be leaving the French outfit for McLaren.
In Nurburgring, Ricciardo qualified for P6. By lap nine, he had overtaken Alex Albon and Charles Leclerc for P4. In Lap 13, Valtteri Bottas, who was running in the top three, locked up and had to pit. This allowed Ricciardo to take his spot, and while he faced pressures and pit stops, he was able to pull it off to finish in third. This was not just Renault’s first podium since their return, but it was also the Aussie’s first since his departure from Red Bull.
1. 2021 Italian Grand Prix
Daniel Ricciardo’s win at the 2021 Monza race was the final win of his career. Heading into the Italian GP, he had been outperformed by his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, throughout the season. After a P3 in the sprint and Valtteri Bottas’ grid penalty, Ricciardo started the Grand Prix in second place.
Stealing the lead from Max Verstappen immediately, the Australian driver held him back for most of the race. Then, a crash between Verstappen and Hamilton (who was running in third) allowed Norris to get behind his teammate. Ricciardo and Norris crossed the line to score McLaren a 1-2 finish and get McLaren its first F1 victory since 2012.
