It was like hearing a forgotten anthem from your formative years, one of those totally over-the-top, punch-the-air bangers that disappear into a dusty corner of memory only to come roaring back one day on the radio, fresh as new. paint and twice as shiny.
Last month in Mexico, Daniel RicciardoThe race to fourth on the grid and the race to seventh were the track equivalents of this song. It was a reminder – after two painful years of spitting, six months away from competition and two months away due to injury – that there is not only life in this seasoned veteran, but that the talent that made him one of F1’s biggest stars is back, firing on all cylinders.
It’s a dazzling reinvention for the 34-year-old Australian. Two increasingly debilitating years at McLaren – and particularly a final campaign in which he scored 37 points and finished in the points on just seven occasions – had seen the Australian mutually agree on his departure from the British team at the end of last year. And with no records available, he chose to take a season-long sabbatical.
Red Bull Racing, with whom he had spent his glory years, intervened by offering him an ambassadorial role. The rebuild began, and after a tire test at Silverstone in July confirmed his old pace had not disappeared, he was invited to AlphaTauri when sister team Red Bull lost patience with the misfires of Nyck de Vries. And while many saw his return to racing at AlphaTauri as a step backwards, for Ricciardo it was all the affirmation he needed.
Ricciardo, shown here at the 2014 United States Grand Prix in Austin
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
“It meant more than it probably seemed,” Ricciardo says. “For a lot of people it was like, ‘Oh, he’s going to the team that’s last in the Manufacturers’ – a team he was with 10 years ago – and what does he want to get out of it? ‘ So, I can see from the outside that it probably didn’t seem like much, but to me it was a lot because I didn’t really enjoy the driving aspect of the sport as much as I did. And I have always done it with great pleasure and great enthusiasm.
And, Ricciardo adds, he clearly wasn’t getting results either. “So it definitely affects the way you do things a little bit,” he admits. “Six months later, I was definitely back where I felt I needed to be. And I just wanted to go back to the roots, take it back to pre-F1, like I was going back again, and I wanted to feel that level of hunger, determination and just that raw passion. It was a bit nostalgic to come back to the team I spent my first full season with, so it brought back a lot of good feelings.
But good feelings alone were not enough for his return to go as he wished. Ricciardo’s first races, driving an underperforming and poorly developed car in Hungary and Belgium, were inconclusive. Then, at Zandvoort, a fall in training led to a serious fracture of his left hand and two months of absence.
Ricciardo’s recovery took longer than expected. Initially, he and the team thought he could return three weeks after the Singapore Grand Prix crash, but hand surgery revealed the extent of his injuries. So Singapore became Suzuka, Qatar and eventually the United States Grand Prix, an ideal venue for a driver who loves racing in the United States. “It was a very difficult deadline,” says Ricciardo. “Austin was eight weeks out from his injury, and I love it about Austin. The track is incredible. I’ve been talking about it for so long, but everything – the atmosphere, Austin himself; I think it’s such an authentic city. It really, really speaks to me. And yes, seeing the sport grow over the last few years in the United States – the sport has taken off, and I love seeing that.
I want to make sure I’m seen as a racing driver who’s always hungry and determined and not someone who’s just there to have a good time.
Ricciardo’s passion for racing in the United States dates back to his childhood in Perth, fascinated by NASCAR racing on family television and equally fascinated by American racing culture. “I was definitely a fan,” he says. “It’s no secret that one of my biggest heroes was Dale Earnhardt. I loved NASCAR, IndyCar; At this time the Champ Car also came to Australia to race at Surfers Paradise. But there was also something about America and the way they did it – even the anthem. I love the anthem; I like that it creates a bit of energy and an atmosphere that appeals to me.
And in return, Americans fell in love with F1 (and also with Ricciardo). The growing interest in the sport is, he says, a combination of exposure and explanation. “I remember at school there was probably another kid (besides me) watching it,” he explains. “We would talk about it, but no one else would really know what we were talking about. So one thing is definitely the accessibility of F1 now. And then, with new technology, different cameras and analytics, people can enjoy the sport and understand that it’s not like driving your car to work.
But while Ricciardo is delighted that F1 has crossed over to the United States – and that customs officials no longer confuse his profession with NASCAR – he admits that F1’s Drive to Survive effect has its drawbacks. “I think with my personality, and also having fun with the sport, that side of things has probably grown a little bit more, but first and foremost, I consider myself a race car driver, not a artist,” he said. . “It’s funny sometimes because people come up to me and say, ‘You were great that season,’ and I’m like, ‘Was that a racing season or a Drive to Survive season?’ Through all of this, it might be out of your mind, so having a little time off allowed me to figure out what I wanted to do moving forward and how I want to race – by simply removing a few things and getting back to basics. I want to make sure I’m seen as a racing driver who’s always hungry and determined and not someone who’s just there to have a good time.
This determination was clear in Mexico City and later in São Paulo. In Brazil, Ricciardo’s self-criticism – first in response to a qualifying error that relegated him to 17th on the grid, then his post-race fury at having been led a lap down thanks to a red flag on lap two – all pointed to one driver. who both enjoys his race and is determined to make it count. Ricciardo is wary of the hype, however.
Ricciardo reminded fans of his skills at the Mexican GP
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
“In this sport, you have to somehow continue to support it,” he insists. “It’s good to have a good weekend, but having just one, in my opinion, is not enough. Yes, having a good weekend from start to finish spoke volumes and it’s something I’ve obviously struggled with over the last couple of years. But I also think this year was just for me to rebuild myself and try to get back to that old form, or that old me.
The renewed hunger and clear indication that the pace is still there have all led to grim speculation that Ricciardo could be destined for another stint in the senior team. On this subject, the Australian wants to squash these rumors before they multiply. “Everything about my contract next year is linked to AlphaTauri, so honestly it ends there,” he says. “Personally, spending a weekend like Mexico was just good for the soul. And also for the team, you know?
Ricciardo says he ‘expects something extraordinary’ at Las Vegas GP
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
I haven’t been here long, but for them to be 10th in the Manufacturers and gain two places in the space of two weekends was huge. So I think it creates a very happy atmosphere around everyone. I’m happy to do this and keep charging.
Back home in the United States, Ricciardo is ready to experience drama in Las Vegas and let loose. “I’m expecting something extraordinary,” he says with his signature laugh and another smile. “It will be something we have never experienced before.”
