Just Who Is Daniel Ricciardo?
Set to make his Grand Prix debut at the British Grand Prix in July, Daniel Ricciardo has risen through the ranks in the previous few years to attain the position of Formula One race driver. Just over a week after his twenty second birthday, the young Australian will attempt to prove the talent the media has so intensely publicised. But just who is Daniel Ricciardo? Will he follow in the footsteps of his countrymen Brabham, Jones and Webber and prove himself a fighter amongst the pack, or will he, like so many junior formulae “stars”, struggle under the spotlight?
Born in the North-Perth suburb of Duncraig in Western Australia, Ricciardo took to motor-racing at just six years old, beginning competitive racing at nine. By age seventeen, his achievements in karting and the Australian Formula Ford championship saw him earn a scholarship to the Formula BMW Asia series, where he impressed in his first season, after securing two victories and a pole position, eventually placing third in the championship. His success saw him land a seat in the Italian-based 2007 Formula Renault 2.0 season.
In a season dominated by the Epsilon Red Bull Team, the Australian cemented fifth place in the championship with a string of strong results. Daniel’s “best of the rest” title was evident by his numerous high-end points classifications. The Duncraig-born racer’s tally of 196 points greatly surpassed that of his team-mate, who secured a meagre 31 throughout the season’s length.
Following his solid results in 2007, Ricciardo was moved to a higher-tier of the “2.0” series, which encompassed much of Western Europe (as opposed to the Italian championship, which largely competed in the one nation). Now provided with a championship-contending vehicle, Ricciardo showed scintillating pace, securing ten pole positions in sixteen events. His ability to perform strongly in qualifying continued to show throughout his junior career. Claiming victory in eight races, after having been denied a ninth following a disqualification for a technical infringement on the rear-wing of his SG Formula car, the Australian secured the title by eight points. Ricciardo would appear for a race weekend in the Formula Three Euroseries championship during year, securing sixth position in the first event and fifteenth in the second.
Now fully-supported by the Red Bull Racing junior programme, Ricciardo moved to the British Formula Three championship in 2009 and, by all accounts, convincingly outpaced all of his opposition. In a championship that featured one of the “weaker” grids of recent years, the Carlin driver secured seven wins to secure the title, including eight-consecutive podiums on the run to the season’s end. Numbers alone fail to speak all of the truth, however, and current GP2 championship-contender Jules Bianchi was able to secure two wins and a second position in the four races he appeared in during the season. The Frenchman, however, was not credited with his results as “guest” drivers to the series are unable to be rewarded with championship points.
After having made a guest appearance at two races in 2009, the Australian moved up to the Formula Renault 3.5 series in 2010. His pace was clear for all to see from the outset, with Ricciardo consistently topping the time sheets in pre-season testing. His competitiveness in the off-season continued into the race weekends, with his ever-reliable qualifying pace securing two consecutive pole positions in his first two races. The events, at the Aragon circuit in Spain, were marked with tumultuous downpour in both and the inexperienced Ricciardo struggled off the line in the first race and ran wide at the first corner in the second. He was, however, able to stay with the two ahead of him and secured podiums in both of his opening races during his debut weekend.
In front of the Formula One paddock, he again shone at Monaco, securing yet another pole and romping away to victory at the Principality of Monaco. He was, for much of the race, consistently a second per lap faster than the opposition – at one point being over seven seconds ahead - until his decision to relax from pushing, in the later stages of the race, shortened his eventual victory advantage to just two seconds. He would continue to fight for the championship all season until an oil leak in the final event resulted in a severe pace deficit to the opposition. The Australian, struggling with traction, was overtaken with just two laps to go. Despite an impressive debut championship challenge, the Australian’s title hopes were largely diminished due to a frustrating inability to remain consistently at the top. Despite Mikahil Aleshin securing the championship and Daniel claiming second, it is this writer’s opinion that third-placed man Esteban Guerrieri was indeed the “best” driver of the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 series season. But I digress, as this is not intended as a Ricciardo Vs. Guerrieri piece.
Starting on the back-foot for the 2011 season in a new team, after having missing the first two rounds due to commitments at the Melbourne Grand Prix, the Australian’s championship challenge began poorly. Again struggling at the Spa Francorchamps circuit, a major crash in practice on the exit of Radilon (a corner often mistaken as being part of a complex wrongly-believed to be called “Eau Rouge”) left the Australian with an under-prepared car. Struggling with both a lack of front-end grip and high-end speed (carrying a deficit of 6km/h against some opposition) the championship-hopeful left the circuit with a mere 3 points.
The Italian round of the season was a step forward for Ricciardo, who qualified on the front row for the first race of the weekend. However, a technical infringement relating to how secure the “skirts” on his vehicle were meant his qualifying performance was voided and he began the race from 24th , and last, position. Despite his disappointment, the outright pace he carried throughout the weekend pushed him from last to sixth in just 45 minutes, plus one lap. Luck would come onto Ricciardo’s side for the second round of the season, with the pole-sitter, and Virgin Racing protégée, Robert Wickens being demoted to fifth position, leaving Ricciardo to start from the front of the grid. When the Australian was out-dragged by Red Bull Junior Team-rival Jean-Eric Vergne into the first corner, the Frenchman – who crossed the line first – was penalised and demoted to third position, having been deemed to have gained an advantage after cutting the “della Roggia” chicane whilst defending against his ISR rival, and Ricciardo would be classified as the winner.
In one of the most exciting 3.5 series races in recent years, Ricciardo would fight constantly with eventual-winner Wickens at the Nurburgring. The two, fighting down to the final lap, displayed immense maturity in changing weather conditions. However, despite a strong first race, Ricciardo would yet again become a victim of his concerning inconsistency and would finish fifth in the second event, again in changeable conditions.
Less than two weeks following this latest event, Hispania Racing Team’s confirmation of Ricciardo’s race seat from here on during the 2011 season – bar the Indian Grand Prix - provides the young Australian with a chance to perform against an experienced – if not less-than brilliant – Liuzzi. The pressure to perform no-longer remains, as any previous expectancy to deliver strong points at Toro Rosso will have disappeared, and he is given the opportunity to learn, in-depth, how a Formula One driver operates on a Sunday. If he can beat his Italian team-mate, the seat to the Faenza-based squad looks all but secured. Should he struggle, however, his position in the Red Bull Junior Team could yet be under threat to close-rival – and ‘Junior Team adversary – Vergne.
Credit: The F1 Times (www.thef1times.com)
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