Daniel Ricciardo claimed eight Grand Prix wins during his Formula 1 career, with seven of those coming while he was racing for Red Bull.
Only 10 drivers in the history of the sport have more wins without a title to their name. Ricciardo’s best finish in the championship was third place, a position he reached in both 2014 and 2016.
With Max Verstappen on the rise, Ricciardo made a bold decision to leave Red Bull for Renault, but it didn’t pay off as the French team fell short of his expectations.
He later joined McLaren during their rebuilding phase and picked up one more win at Monza. But overall, he found it tough going against Lando Norris, and that led to his contract being terminated at the end of 2022.
Christian Horner believes Daniel Ricciardo hit his stride at the wrong time
After being let go by McLaren, Ricciardo found himself without a seat in Formula 1, but he returned to the Red Bull setup in 2023 as a reserve driver. When Nyck de Vries was dropped by AlphaTauri midway through the season, Ricciardo rejoined the team where he started his career (when it was still known as Toro Rosso).
He had hoped to work his way back into a Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen but didn’t put up enough strong results. With six races left in the 2024 season, he was replaced by Liam Lawson.
Speaking on The Christian O’Connell Show, former Red Bull boss Christian Horner spoke highly of Ricciardo’s impact both on and off the track, saying the sport is poorer without him.
And he thinks that Ricciardo could have won a world championship if Red Bull had given him the car during his peak years.
“Daniel’s just a great guy,” said Horner. “He lights up a room when he walks in it. He’s got a big personality, a big heart. Very sensitive guy. I just clicked with him.
“He was a wonderful driver. Unfortunately, at the time when he was at his peak, we didn’t have the most competitive car on the grid.
“I think if we had, he could have been a world champion. A great guy and I think the sport misses Daniel.”
The respect Daniel Ricciardo held during his prime
When Ricciardo arrived at Red Bull in 2014, he immediately outperformed four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and was widely respected throughout the paddock for doing so.
This period wasn’t necessarily his peak though – that likely came later. While he took just one win in 2016 compared to three in 2014, this may have been when drivers and fans alike held him in highest regard.
Fernando Alonso once told Ricciardo that year that he was performing better than anyone else on track – even while Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were locked in their title fight for Mercedes.
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