36 Facts About Daniel Ricciardo You Didn't Know

Who hasn’t seen that big wide open grin ready to josh and play around with other people in the room? Or stood by a little stunned as he practices his podium tradition of taking off his sweaty shoe, pouring champaign in it, and drinking the liquid inside – he calls it the Shoey. It’s hilarious, gross, and typical of a man who can take a joke.

Daniel Ricciardo has an enviable reputation as one of the most accomplished drivers, who has won eight races between 2012 – 2022, 3 pole positions, 32 podium positions, and won the fastest lap time in 16 races. He has a reputation for hard but fair racing and his sense of humor.

Other drivers have scored more points and earned more money, but very few have the reputation enjoyed by Daniel Ricciardo. He is universally liked on the F1 grid, is renowned for his famous Shoey, and takes the knocks in his stride. Fernando Alonso described him as “unbelievable” and “very, very smart, very respectful.”

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36 Facts About Daniel Ricciardo You Didn’t Know

Daniel Ricciardo is the darling of F1; he doesn’t have any detractors and has achieved moderate success in F1 since he joined the senior series in 2011. What do you know about Daniel? The following are 36 facts that you probably did not know.

Are Daniel Ricciardo And Max Verstappen Friends?

Daniel Ricciardi and Max Verstappen became teammates at Red Bull in 2016. Max was showing his natural skill, and it eventually resulted in Daniel being demoted as the number one driver in favor of Max. In 2018 Daniel left Red Bull for Renault.

Since that time, their relationship has blossomed, and they are firm friends.

With a hint of seriousness, Daniel jokingly claims that even though Max has been ahead of him in the drivers’ standings, he is still a better driver than Max. He says when he stops believing that he needs to retire.

Are Daniel Ricciardo And Lando Norris Friends?

Daniel and Lando are teammates at McLaren.

Lando has deliberately not become friends with Daniel because he wants to keep the tension between them. There is great respect between each man.

Are Daniel Ricciardo And Lewis Hamilton Friends?

Lewis and Daniel are not friends; however, there is no animosity between them.

It isn’t easy to imagine Lewis and Daniel being close friends because of their very different characters. Daniel is fun-loving, doesn’t take too much seriously, is not very intense, and can play a joke amongst the best of them.

On the other hand, Lewis is very reflective, a deep thinker who has a more complicated background. He sees things in the world with different, more intense eyes.

Although Daniel always seems to be smiling, the Australian is renowned as one of the most ruthless on the track. They often chat and joke, and they get on with each other.

Is Daniel Ricciardo Married?

Daniel is not married and never has been.

He has been linked as having relationships with several women. There are rumors that he has started a relationship with actress Heidi Berge.

Can Daniel Ricciardo Win The Championship?

Daniel’s highest world championship position was 3rd for Red Bull in 2014 and 2016.

He has always shown great promise; however, with Mercedes winning the last eight world championships, he, and every other driver on the grid, has not had a car capable of winning.

Despite an uncharacteristically hesitant start, his move to McLaren has shown promise; however, although a contender, Mercedes, and Red Bull have been dominant for a long time. No one knows how the new regulations and redesigned cars will affect the championship and the teams’ relative positions on the leader boards.

Daniel has said that he still wants a world championship; however, he has made peace that this may not be achievable. Despite this, with so much change on the horizon, it’s a case of “never say never.”

Can Daniel Ricciardo Speak Italian?

Daniel was born to an Italian father and an Australian mother.

He is a fluent Italian speaker and has demonstrated his prowess when he won the Italian Grand Prix in 2021.

He spent time in Italy when he launched his international racing career and stated that he has a soft spot for Italian culture, cuisine, language, and people.

Can Daniel Ricciardo Sing?

Daniel is a social singer with a reputation for being fun.

He said he would belt out his favorite musical numbers when he was alone in a road car. He is always singing and dancing around at the race track, making everyone laugh.

He has posted a few fun videos on YouTube having a musical session in the car.

Does Daniel Ricciardo Have A Girlfriend?

Daniel does not have a playboy reputation. Up until 2016, Daniel was with Jemma Boscovich, his childhood sweetheart.

He has been linked with Annemarie Horbass, a colleague at Red Bull in recent years.

He has also been involved with an Australian model Jessica Gomes.

It is rumored that Daniel is currently in a relationship with 24-year-old actress Heidi Berger, the daughter of Gerhard Berger, a former F1 racing driver. Heidi has acted in the following films.

A Única Mulher (2015).
Onde Está Elisa? (2018).
Trakehnerblut (2017)

Does Daniel Ricciardo Have A Child?

No, Daniel has not had any children.

What Is Daniel Ricciardo Worth?

When Daniel drove for Renault, his contract was worth $35 million a year; this made him one of the highest-paid drivers at that time.

When he joined McLaren, he took a salary cut down to $15 million per year. He is estimated to receive an additional R2 million a year in endorsement deals.

With properties in Perth, Australia, and Beverley Hills in the United States, his net worth is calculated to be approximately US$50 million.

Did Daniel Ricciardo Win With Renault?

Daniel has never won a race with Renault.

In his whole time, he ended up on the podium twice. Hilariously he made a bet with his old boss, Cyril Abiteboul of Renault, that if he achieved a maiden podium with Renault, both would get a tattoo.

Ahead of the last race in the 2021 season, Cyril honored the bet and went on to have a tattoo of an F1 Eiffel Tower-inspired image.

Did Daniel Ricciardo Get A Podium With Renault?

Daniel achieved Renault’s maiden podium.

By the time he had left the team at the end of 2020, he had achieved two podiums.

Who Does Daniel Ricciardo Drive For?

Daniel currently drives for McLaren with Lando Morris as his teammate.

He had an uncharacteristically slow start at Mclaren. He struggled to get a handle on the car, and until he eventually won the Italian Grand Prix, there were starting to be rumors that he would be vulnerable to being replaced in the 2022 season.

After his win, that talk has stopped, and it is a fair bet that he will stay the course for the rest of his contract.

Teams that he has raced for in the past include:

HRT Formula 1 Team/Torro Rosso (2012–2013)
Red Bull (2014–2018)
Renault (2019–2020)
McLaren (2021 to the present time)

Does Daniel Ricciardo Have Siblings?

Daniel has a younger sister named Michelle (Shelly or Shell), a wife and mother of two children, aged three and one. Michelle lives in Perth, Australia.

Does Daniel Ricciardo Come From Money?

Daniel’s parents are not wealthy and seem to be a perfectly normal Australian family living in Perth.

His dad owns and runs an earthmoving business called Ricciardo Earthmoving. He has invested substantial sums supporting Daniels’s career and has said that he can’t take the money with him and would instead invest it in his children’s (Daniel and Michelle) lives.

Has Daniel Ricciardo Won A Race?

After a crash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on lap 26 of the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, Daniel went on to win his 9^th Grand Prix.

Daniel has driven in 210 F1 races and won eight between 2012 and 2022.

He has won 3 pole positions and 32 podium positions in the same period. He has won the fastest lap time in 16 races.

Does Daniel Ricciardo Have Snapchat?

Daniel has a social media presence on

Snapchat account – danielricciardo
Twitter – @danielricciardo
Instagram – @danielricciardo
Facebook – Daniel Ricciardo

How Old Is Daniel Ricciardo?

Daniel was born on 1 July 1989, and he is currently 32 years old.

How Tall Is Daniel Ricciardo?

Daniel is an average 1.8 meters tall, which is a little shorter than the two tallest F1 drivers, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon, at 1.86 meters.

How Much Does Daniel Ricciardo Make?

Daniel earns $15 million at McLaren, and it is estimated that he made an additional $2 million from endorsement deals.

The following companies have sponsored him.

Amazon
Go Pro
Blue Coast
Puma
Carsales.com
Stance Socks
Melin

He has not published his earnings from endorsement deals.

How Did Daniel Ricciardo Get Into F1?

In 1998 Daniel started racing Go-karts for the Tiger Kart Club (TKC) when he was nine years old. He jokes that he was racing kids half his age.

In 2005 he started racing cars in the Formula Ford series. Driving a 15-year-old Van Diemen, he finished seventh in the series in his maiden year.

Daniel joined the Formula 3 series in the 2008 season. In his first race at the Nürburgring ring, Ricciardo qualified eighth, which later became sixth after two cars stalled on the grid.

IN 2009 he joined the British Formula 3 series. In 24 races, he won 7 times achieved 6 poles and 13 podiums.

In 2010 he raced in 17 events and won 4 times off pole positions, and he achieved 8 podiums.

On 11 November 2010, at the end of year young driver races, he tested for Red Bull. He was the fastest driver in the session. In his best lap, he achieved a lap time 1.3 seconds faster than the senior Red Bull driver and four times World Champion winner Sebastian Vettel’s qualifying lap the Saturday before.

After the test, Daniel was confirmed as Toro Rosso’s reserve driver for 2011.

Daniel made his Grand Prix debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

What’s Daniel Ricciardo’s Net Worth?

Daniels is said to have an estimated net worth is $50 million.

What Is Daniel Ricciardo’s Salary?

Daniel’s salary is estimated at $15million per annum. In addition to this, Daniel earns $2 million from endorsements.

When Was Daniel Ricciardo Born?

Daniel was born on 1 July 1989, and he is now 32 years old.

When Did Daniel Ricciardo Leave Red Bull?

After graduating from Red Bull’s sister team Torro Rosso in 2014, he was with Red Bull for 4 years until 2018.

Daniel first partnered with Sebastian Vettel, who was a four-time world champion.

Daniel impressed everyone by beating Sebastian in the first half of the 2014 season. He had a very gentlemanly rivalry with Fernando Alonso at the German Grand Prix, at which Alonso afterward,

described him as “unbelievable” and “very, very smart, very respectful.”

During his time with Red Bull, he raced in 81 races, won 7 times, and achieved 29 podiums.

When Did Daniel Ricciardo Leave Renault?

Daniel left Renault to join McLaren at the end of the 2020 season. He had led Renault to third place in the 2020 constructors’ championship. He achieved a surprising fifth place in the drivers’ championship in his last season.

In his first year with Renault, he did not secure a single podium and finished ninth in the drivers’ championship.

During his time with the team, the car was very uncompetitive, and Ricciardo has stated that he was afraid of another year in F1 with the same results. He said it was purely the lack of competitiveness and no relationship issues with the team.

When Carlos Sainz announced he was leaving McLaren for Ferrari, Daniel felt that moving to McLaren was almost forced on him, as he wasn’t sure he would get a similar opportunity in the future.

When Was Daniel Ricciardo’s Last Podium?

Daniel’s last podium was at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021, which he won.

Since then, the highest score that he has managed was fifth place in the Qatar Grand Prix.

When Did Daniel Ricciardo Join Renault?

Daniel left Red Bull at the end of 2018 to join Renault for the 2019 season. He stayed for two years at Renault, eventually leaving them to join McLaren, who he raced for in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

He achieved two podium finishes at Renault with a very unreliable engine and a below-standard, uncompetitive car.

When Was Daniel Ricciardo Last Win?

Daniel’s last win was at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021. After benefiting from the crash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, he led virtually the whole race; this was an especially notable event for the McLaren team, with Lando Norris coming in 2^nd.

The Italian Grand Prox win was the first the McLaren team had achieved since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, and it was Daniel’s first win since Monaco in 2018.

When Was Daniel Ricciardo On Top Gear?

Daniel was called up to the legendary Top Gear program in 2014. TopGear has a speed test where F1 drivers swop their F1 cars for a mundane Suzuki Leana.

Daniel is the current lap time record holder with a lap time of 1:42.2 seconds. He beat out

1:42.2 – Daniel Ricciardo
1:42.9 – Lewis Hamilton (second attempt)
1:43.1 – Mark Webber (second attempt)
1:44.0 – Sebastian Vettel
1:44.3 – Rubens Barrichello
1:44.4 – Ben Collins (The Stig II; removed from the board)
1:44.6 – Nigel Mansell
1:44.7 – Lewis Hamilton (wet and oily)
1:44.7 – Jenson Button (hot)
1:44.9 – Jenson Button (second attempt; wet)
1.46.0 – Perry McCarthy (The Stig I; removed from the board)
1:46.1 – Kimi Räikkönen (very wet)
1:46.3 – Damon Hill
1:47.1 – Mark Webber (extremely wet)
DNF – Michael Schumacher (Joke lap, got “lost”- DNF)

Driving an underpowered 125 hp car in these conditions must indeed have split the men from the boys!!

Where Is Daniel Ricciardo’s Farm?

Daniel’s family owns a farm in Western Australia, where he spent the first COVID Lockdown.

He kept up his rigorous training regime on the farm and tried to stay as ready as possible for the races post-COVID.

Although Daniel does not feel that farm life is ideal for him, he has been typically mischievous. He has posted videos riding a motorbike into the farmhouse while running around doing “parkour.” Parkour is a discipline that uses movements from military obstacle course training in which participants try to get from a point to another in as efficient a way as possible.

What Nationality Is Daniel Riccardo?

Although Daniel has Italian/Australian heritage, his nationality is Australian. His father, Giuseppe “Joe” Ricciardo, was born in Ficarra (Messina). The Ricciardo’s moved to Australia when his father was seven years old.

Daniel’s mother, Grace Ricciardo, is a first-generation Italian.

He mentioned his love of Italian tradition on the radio ins 2018, and Daniel has honored his Italian heritage by becoming fluent in Italian.

Ricciardo was based in Viareggio, Italy, on the coast near Pisa at the start of his racing career. He reminisces that it was a good year living there.

After winning the Italian Grand Prix in 2021, Ricciardo impressed the crowd by thanking them in fluent Italian.

What’s Daniel Ricciardo’s Religion?

Daniel’s religious heritage is Catholic, but he seems to have drifted away. Faith is something about which he very rarely speaks.

Daniel’s nickname is the “honey badger,” an animal famous for ferocity, fearlessness, and strength. Daniel has these characteristics in spades. At Red Bull, he was renowned for his often successful late-braking tactics.

He is also known as the smiling assassin. Off the track, he is very light-hearted and fun to be around. His smile is legendary, and the antics he gets up to are often hilarious. However, on the track, the assassin part of his personality makes its appearance.

He rarely gets called out for unfair driving, but he will drive his car to the limit, and in close quarters racing, he will not give an inch to his competitors.

In a sense, he is the archetypical gentleman racer.

Daniel supports the Red Bull charity “Wings For Life,” which has donated significant funds to Racing for MNDi Foundation, which funds research into the inherited form of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Daniel donated to charities set up after the Australian Wildfires and contributed his racing suit to be auctioned on behalf of the same charity.

There are many testimonies of Daniel’s ethics and morality, whatever his beliefs. Of girls who have attended a party and then git blind drunk falling asleep, only to find the following day that the unknown host, who they found out to be Daniel, had kept them safe and covered them with blankets.

Where Was Daniel Riccardo Born?

Daniel was born in Perth, Australia, in 1989.

Who Are Daniel Riccardo’s Parents?

Daniels’s father is Giuseppe “Joe” Ricciardo, and his mother is Grace Ricciardo.

His father runs Ricciardo Earthworks, a business based in Perth, Australia.

Daniels’s dad was an amateur racer competing at the Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australia. Giuseppe, Grace, and his sister Michelle tried to dissuade Daniel from starting a motor racing career, mainly because his dad was worried about the all-consuming addictive nature of the sport.

Although they tried to dissuade Daniel from motor racing, they had proven to support Daniel’s career when he made his mind up. Daniel’s parents financed his move to Europe to further his career.

Conclusion

Daniel is one of the best F1 racing which is driving today. He had made some questionable moves (i.e., when he left Red Bull) and may never have a championship contender car. He races with fierce determination and a clever tactical brain despite this.

He is universally liked on the circuit and is renowned for his fairness and sportsmanship.