For Ricciardo, 2014 was “the most fun season” with Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo likes round numbers. The 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked the end of his contract with Red Bull Racing, after exactly 100 races of Formula 1. The Australian has collected seven victories, three poles and 29 podiums with the Austrian team in the space of five seasons.

Before putting on the suit Renault in 2019, the most smiling driver in the paddock rewound the thread and looked back on the year 2014, his first with Red Bull, which was also his most memorable. “Of course, the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix was notable, because it strengthened my confidence and my desire to win”, he emphasizes.

It's been one hell of a ride @danielricciardo The ultimate Honey Badger highlights reel #CheersDan pic.twitter.com/StEafdoB9e

— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 24, 2018

On a drying track, Daniel Ricciardo made some daring overtakes in the final laps, and had exulted with joy on the radio as soon as the finish line was crossed. “I had to chase down the opponents, I overtook Lewis (Hamilton) and Fernando (Alonso) in extremis... This event revealed that I had my place at the front of the peloton, I had enormous confidence in myself and no fear of others."

In addition to the three winner's cups brought home (Hungary, but also Canada and Belgium), the Australian clearly remembers his national event. “Melbourne 2014, the first of 100 races. In qualifying, I'm not sure if the cause was the new quiet hybrid V6 Turbo engines, but when I finished my lap, it was the first time I could hear the crowd from my cockpit. I caught the cry of the public, I thought “Oh shit, maybe I’m on pole!” " It was crazy. I was on intermediate tires in the rain, at home and with a new team…”

Even though Lewis Hamilton beat him seconds later, Daniel Ricciardo believes this performance was crucial in his development as an F1 driver. “I jumped with both feet into that day, it set the tone for the driver I was going to become, especially in a first year against Sebastian (Hag). » Indeed, the new kid from Toro Rosso had to assert himself against the four-time outgoing champion.

What was shaping up to be an unbalanced duel quickly turned to the advantage of the young wolf. Sebastian Vettel failed to achieve any success and ended up leaving his Red Bull cocoon at the end of the year. The score was indeed clear: while Daniel Ricciardo concluded the year in third place in the general classification with 238 points, Sebastian Vettel finished fifth with 167 points. “Everything lined up well that year, analyzes Daniel Ricciardo. The confidence stored up during this period has never left me since. This has been the most fun and biggest season yet. »