Ricciardo reveals the F1 job he refuses to take after ‘bitter’ ending
Daniel Ricciardo has opened up on his “humiliating” F1 axing and how he hid the resulting “pain and sadness” from fans in his most in-depth interview since he left the sport.
The Aussie has kept a relatively low profile since he was sacked by Racing Bulls following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, and has not competed in any form of motorsport.
Daniel Ricciardo has given his most in-depth interview since his F1 exit in an appearance on F1’s own Beyond the Grid podcast. F1
But in an appearance on F1’s own Beyond the Grid podcast, Ricciardo spoke about a range of topics including that night in the city-state, discovering himself as something other than an F1 driver, and how the biggest crash of his life wasn’t in a race car.
He also shut down deafening calls from fans around the world for him to follow the lead of Martin Brundle, Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg among other former drivers to turn his hand to punditry.
"(Television) hasn't ever been a driver for me," he said.
"People tell me … 'Oh, you'd be great on TV', and there's a part of me that's like 'Yes, it'd be awesome to share so many of my experiences and knowledge'.
“Even if I watch a race with my dad, he’s like ‘someone has to hear what you have to say during a race because I learn so much from you’.
“Obviously, that’s because I was one of the 20 (drivers). I guess there’s a few of us who have really experienced it to that level, and I appreciate a lot of ex-drivers are in that space now. There’s a reason for that.
"But there's just also something refreshing about doing something completely different with life."
Ricciardo suggested he might be open to a driver mentoring role, but wasn't interested in jumping back on the full time F1 train.
“I’ve spoken to a few friends in other sports that are now retired athletes, but went back into the sport as a manager, or a team owner … one of them in particular said it’s no easier than when they were competing because you still are so invested, especially in the athletes, that their problems are your problems, and you don’t get home from work and switch off,” he said.
"They're calling you, you're still dealing with this, so you're still living with the weight of an athlete.
"I do love speaking to younger drivers and I do love trying to share some of my knowledge and experiences, but I just don't think I want to go through all those emotions again.
Ricciardo has ruled out following Martin Brundle’s well-worn path from driving into punditry. Getty
"Being out of that and living a little more lightly, freely, that just feels nicer and better."
And as he starts looking towards the next stage of his life – he would later say he couldn’t wait to become a father – he said he wouldn’t want his focus shifted elsewhere.
"For the people around me as well, there's always a weight with everything that comes with it," he said.
"It's hard to switch off, especially when you get home. I don't think that would help me be the best version of myself, especially around people that matter to me."
‘I was hiding from what I really felt’
Ricciardo won eight grands prix in a 257-race career that spanned 14 seasons. His sacking, effectively via press release, infuriated fans and left Ricciardo with a bitter taste in his mouth that kept him from attending any motorsport event for more than 18 months.
Having been sacked by McLaren at the end of 2022, Ricciardo returned to the Red Bull stable mid-way through 2023. After an underwhelming 12 months, he was axed in favour of Kiwi Liam Lawson, who had deputised for Ricciardo for several races in 2023 after the Aussie broke his hand in a crash during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo finished 18th but set the fastest lap in his last race. He was also the last to take the chequered flag, and last car to return to the pits. Getty
But before Red Bull "pulled the trigger" following that Singapore race, Ricciardo said he was already having moments where he thought he was done.
“I think I was also in denial … but there were definitely times that I was like, ‘I don’t love this any more. I don’t really want to be here’. And it’s like, ‘OK, sleep it off, sleep it off. You’ll get there, and you’ll be fine.’ And then maybe you have one good race or one moment you’re like, ‘yeah, I got the fire back’.
“I still wanted the fairytale, of course. I wanted to get back with Red Bull Racing and all of that, and I would have loved to have obviously been teammates with Max (Verstappen) again and tried to race at the front again, but I knew also deep down, I was getting probably more burnt out by it all.”
Once known for his bold overtakes under braking, Ricciardo said the realisation he could no longer do what he once could was tough.
“You can be very harsh on yourself, and expect a lot from yourself. Failing, or that was my view of it, was not performing to the level I needed to at the time, or not being able to finish out the season. It’s then a sense of humiliation, like ‘I failed, and I didn’t do what I once could’.
“Over those next few months … I understood it as I was just hiding from the humiliation. If people saw me out in public, I was ‘Ha ha, ha, I’m having a good time, and having a drink or whatever’, but I was hiding from what I really felt deep inside, which was a lot of pain and sadness.
"I was once this kid that was fighting for, or at least hoping to fight for, a world title and obviously winning races or whatever. But now it's like, 'oh shit, it's gone'.
"I still don't like how it ended, but there's also a part of me which is grateful that they pulled the trigger because I wouldn't want to be doing it now."
‘I needed time away from everything’
Ricciardo attended the Indianapolis 500 this year, which he revealed was the first time he had visited a race track since that night in Singapore.
He said he wasn't sure before attending if he would enjoy attending, or even if he wanted to be there at all.
But that all changed once he got there. He said he at no stage wished he was driving, but the visit did rekindle his love for racing and competing.
"I'm at a place now where I'm actually probably more open to the thought (of a racing return) than I was two years ago," he said.
“Being a fan again reminded me that I do love motorsports.
“In terms of driving, I think I was just burnt out, period, let alone emotionally and all that. I was just tired. The thought of trying to do something else was just not on the cards,” he said.
"I knew I needed time away from everything, even people. I did a lot of solo travelling and trips last year, and a lot of hiking. I needed to breathe on my own.
"For years and years you're surrounded by people and you don't really have time for your own thoughts.
“… I needed to decompress and actually figure out what I wanted to do and what I like, what I don’t and all that stuff.”
Having once had zero interest in getting behind the wheel of any race car again, Ricciardo said that sentiment is changing.
"I'm at a place now where I think my relationship with driving-slash-racing is healthier than it was.
“Do I hate that the last time I put a helmet on was in Singapore, and how like such a love over my life of racing kind of ended, and the taste that was left in my mouth about it all? Yeah.
"I was very bitter towards the idea of anything racing after that. I would love to have a nicer ending, but I need to make sure that it's for the right reasons and I'm not just doing it to create a fairy tale (so) the last line in the book has a smile and not some sadness."
‘My enthusiasm out rode my talent’
Part of that journey to rediscovering himself included a nine-day motorbike with three friends up the Queensland coast to Cape York.
It took place last August, and came at a time Ricciardo said was one of his toughest periods of his post-F1 career.
But what was intended to be a pick-me-up, landed Ricciardo in hospital and ended up doing the opposite.
"We were meant to end up at the very tip of Australia. It was something I was really excited to do … we were going to see parts of the country that I've never even got close to seeing," he said.
Daniel Ricciardo won eight grands prix, including the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. AAP
"It sadly didn't last long because my enthusiasm out rode my talent.
"It was a very, very dark moment. I'd been through the highs and lows of the past year, this was something I was really holding on to, and basically on day one, about two hours into the trip, I crashed.
“I was on the side of the road. Next was an ambulance, surgery, all of that, and my trip was cut very, very short. I broke a lot in my shoulder and I got some more metal.
“It was so funny, but it wasn’t funny. In that moment, there’s so much physical pain, but it was honestly more emotional pain because I was just like: ‘Why? How did I f--- this up?’
"… I was angry, I was sad and upset, feeling 'why me?' kind of thing."
Ricciardo said it was the worst injury of his whole life, well beyond anything he had done in his racing career, and it happened on a motorbike at low speed.
‘I’m shocked it all happened’
But despite all that, Ricciardo insists he is proud of what he achieved at the pinnacle of motorsport.
"In the aftermath of everything, I use the word failure and humiliation, and I appreciate a lot of the stuff I've said probably feels very negative, or heavy," he said.
"But now that I'm, let's say out of that and able to understand more of life and a lot of things around it, I look back now with much more of a smile than I did a couple years ago. I am definitely proud.
"You never really want to reflect that much, especially when you're racing, because it's you nearly like spook yourself. You're just like 'nope, you can't think about that'. You've got to stay on it.
“But it was all just weird for me. Maybe every F1 driver feels this … it’s not imposter syndrome because I believe I was definitely good enough to be there. But it’s like, ‘How did this happen? How am I one of the 20? How have I won races?’ It can be overwhelming to reflect.
"But now that I'm in a good even keel place, yeah, I do look back. I'm extremely proud, and shocked in many ways that it all happened."
