Daniel Ricciardo took to the grid at the weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, completing his Formula One return after eight months away from racing and the split from McLaren in 2022, following two underwhelming seasons.
Embraced by a flurry of déjà vu, the 34-year old returned to the grid at the Hungaroring, at the Red Bull sister team AlphaTauri, for whom he last drove about a decade ago under its previous guise Toro Rosso.
Outqualifying teammate Yuki Tsunoda and then forced into a recovery drive following innocent involvement in an opening lap incident, Ricciardo took what is the worst car on the grid to a thirteenth place finish in his comeback race.
Ricciardo is a popular figure and was until now, the only Australian on the Formula One for almost a decade – after former Red Bull driver Mark Webber retired in 2013.
That infectious smile, the Honey Badger persona and podium ‘shoeys’ (adopted from fellow Aussie motorsport names) – made the Perth-born Ricciardo a household name. Not to mention his ‘last of the late brakers’ approach to racing, which made him a formidable force during the peaks of his career.
Though around the current discourse, it seems to be remiss not to put on the hindsight labelled spectacles and revisit a key quote from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner back in 2018, when he made the shock switch from the outfit he won seven for to an unknown entity in Renault.
“Is he making the right career choice? My assumption is that he is running from a fight,” said Horner, referencing Ricciardo’s teammate and reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
Referring too of course the inevitable rise of the then 21-year old Dutchman, who on the surface appeared to have displaced Ricciardo as the force for Red Bull to build their team around. Tension, culminating in the flashpoint that was the collision between the two down the main straight in Baku.
(Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)
“I struggled to let that go, the whole race and the aftermath. That played a part in my decision. I never really felt the same after that. As soon as I crashed into him, part of me felt ‘you guys [Red Bull] deserve this, that was a shitshow’,” Ricciardo reminisced in 2019 to The Age and highlighting the shift in favouritism amongst the team’s hierarchy.
Given where Red Bull and Verstappen rose to following Ricciardo’s departure and subsequent arrival of the then unproven variable that was the Honda power-unit – it is easy to say the Aussie made the wrong choice. But even as a sceptic of the decision at the time, more faith could’ve put into what Red Bull could achieve with Honda – than where Renault’s trajectory, despite the eye-watering US$25 million-per-season salary they paid him.
Alpine nee Renault are still miring in the midfield and despite Ricciardo spearheading them to best-of-the-rest status in 2019 with a fourth-place finish in the constructor’s championship, there’s no surprise he jumped ship from that volatile cesspool to McLaren for 2021. The constant public mismanagement and infighting between the brass, as best experienced through the Oscar Piastri contract saga and then the high-profile dressing down to the team given by CEO Laurent Rossi earlier this year.
What transpired at McLaren is already well documented enough. Monza 2021 and winning the team’s first race in almost ten years aside, Ricciardo quite harshly learnt the cost of underestimating prodigious teammate Lando Norris. As well as an ornate car which required more of a technical approach to adapt to than that which Daniel brought and then struggled to remould himself for.
At least at Red Bull, he would’ve still been beaten by a prodigious teammate but instead have been more familiar with the car and perhaps more competitive. It’ll be one of Formula One’s great what ifs; had Ricciardo stayed put for the handsome sum the energy drinks giant were offering beyond 2018 and maintained his stellar form, would he at least have been more of title aspirant against Verstappen than Max’s incumbent teammate Sergio Perez?
All said with the benefit of hindsight indeed and what a fickle and cruel thing it can be. Now that Ricciardo has returned to Formula One, the question is: can the Aussie rediscover his mojo in what is the worst car on the grid, to make the possibility of that comeback to Red Bull Racing?
If somehow, he can impress and usurp the underperforming Perez from Red Bull, then what an incredible U-turn that will be. From running from a fight, to coming back to a place that as hindsight says he shouldn’t have left.
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