Daniel Ricciardo, known as “Ricardo,” is a racing driver from Australia and Italy. He’s actively competing in Formula One for Scuderia AlphaTauri under the Australian flag.
Throughout his career, he has achieved notable success, securing 8 Grand Prix victories and landing on the podium 32 times in Formula One.
Ricciardo’s journey began at the 2011 British Grand Prix when he made his debut with the HRT team. This opportunity arose from his connection with Red Bull Racing, as he was test-driving for their sister team, Scuderia Toro Rosso.
His full-time stint with Toro Rosso started in 2012, when he drove a car powered by Ferrari. He moved up to Red Bull in 2014, taking the place of the retiring Mark Webber alongside Sebastian Vettel.
In his inaugural season with Red Bull and Renault Power, he had an impressive performance, finishing third in the championship and securing his first three Formula One wins in Canada, Hungary, and Belgium.
After a couple of winless years, Ricciardo made a triumphant return to victory at the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.
He secured third place in the championship for the second time in three years during the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix. His winning streak continued with victories at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2017 and the Chinese and Monaco Grands Prix in 2018.
In 2019 and 2020, Ricciardo raced for Renault after signing with them post his time at Red Bull. He later joined McLaren for the 2021 and 2022 Formula One seasons. His first win with McLaren came at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
Following the 2021 season, he received the honor of becoming a Member of the Order of Australia. In 2023, he transitioned to become the third driver for Red Bull in the Formula One World Championship.
Notably, he stepped in at AlphaTauri after the tenth round of the season, temporarily taking the place of Nyck de Vries on loan from Red Bull Racing.
Daniel Ricciardo Wikipedia Profile
| Full name | Daniel Joseph Ricciardo |
| Nickname | Daniel Ricciardo |
| Date of Birth | 1 July 1989 Perth, Australia |
| Age | 34 years old |
| Place of birth | Perth, Australia |
| Career | Car racer |
| Current team | Scuderia AlphaTauri |
| Height | 1.79 m |
| Parent | Grace Ricciardo, Joe Ricciardo |
| Net worth | $20 million |
Early life
Daniel Ricciardo was born on July 1, 1989, in Perth, Western Australia. His parents had Italian-Australian roots.
His father, Giuseppe “Joe” Ricciardo, moved to Australia from Ficarra at a young age, while his mother, Grace, had Australian roots with grandparents from Casignana. Alongside his sister Michelle, Daniel grew up in Duncraig, a suburb of Perth.
His earliest memories of motorsports were watching his father race at the nearby Barbagallo Raceway. He followed the Catholic faith and attended Newman College for high school. Daniel’s journey into racing began at the age of 9 when he started karting.
Personal life
Ricciardo prefers to say his last name as “Ricardo” using an Australian accent, unlike the Italian “Rit-tchar-do.”
He explains that this is because of how his family and his surroundings said it during his upbringing in Australia. He chose the racing number 3 in honor of NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt, whom he admired as a child.
In terms of sports, Ricciardo is a supporter of the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. He held the top position as their ticket holder in 2015 and 2016. He’s also a fan of the UFC.
On a personal note, he is in a relationship with Heidi Berger, who happens to be the daughter of former F1 driver Gerhard Berger.
Career
Daniel Ricciardo’s journey to Formula One began with Red Bull’s young driver program, which led to his promotion to the F1 team in 2014. He quickly proved his skills, securing three wins in his debut year with the top team.
Despite his family’s roots in Sicily, Ricciardo’s father moved to Australia when he was young, seeking better opportunities. However, Daniel returned to Europe to pursue a motorsport career.
He won the British F3 championship in 2009 and progressed to Formula Renault 3.5, coming close to winning in 2010 despite a setback when his car flipped during a race.
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While continuing his Formula Renault 3.5 journey in 2011, Ricciardo also took on F1 commitments, participating in practice sessions for both Red Bull and their sister team, Toro Rosso.
His strong performance led to discussions about rejoining Red Bull, and he was eventually hired as their test and reserve driver for 2023, with his simulator sessions impressing the team.
Following disappointing performances by Perez and de Vries, Red Bull decided to replace the latter with Ricciardo.
Despite initial denials, the team eventually announced his participation in a Pirelli tire test at Silverstone. As a result of the decision and a swift negotiation, Ricciardo took over de Vries’ seat and partnered with Yuki Tsunoda from the Hungarian Grand Prix onward.
Net Worth
His net worth is estimated to be around $20 million.