Opinion: Daniel Ricciardo's sudden F1 exit was a sad day in the 2024 season

I am preaching to the converted when heaping praise on Daniel Ricciardo. The loveable honey badger with the ever present megawatt smile has hung up his race suit and bid farewell to F1 after 13 years... and judging by the outpouring on social media, few want to see him go. Given the abrupt nature of his departure after the Singapore race – and a send-off that wasn’t befitting of his career – it seems right to say now, what should have been said then.

Some drivers’ careers are defined by cold hard data, Daniel brought something else entirely: pure unfiltered joy and an unwavering appreciation for his day job. In Spa in 2018 he’d had a DNF. Afterwards in the interview pen, I started by saying how sorry I was, to which he replied, “Don’t be sorry, my bad day is better than many people’s best day.” He has always had an innate sense of gratitude that even when the chips were down, he was still living the dream of being a racing driver.

His impact on F1 has been multifaceted. Credited as the poster boy of Drive to Survive, which brought in a whole new generation of fans to the sport – the value of which is almost incalculable – he reminded us that ultimately we’re in the entertainment game. Turning on the TV on a Sunday afternoon and settling in for the Grand Prix is escapism for many, and driving the cars should first and foremost be fun. Daniel’s personality is like a shot of espresso, waking us up to what matters.

He is the class clown who still manages to be valedictorian, the prankster with a PhD in overtaking. The visor comes down, and a ruthless competitor kicks in, but you just know that famous smile is still there. Who can forget the team radio in Hungary, after his double overtake on Ocon and Alonso, (a circuit that is supposed to be hard to overtake on) when he said, “That’s how you do it, ladies.” Rarely, if ever, did we hear whinging, or frustration over the airwaves, but always gratitude, even when things didn’t work out.

My grandpa (an England hockey player and a scratch golfer) once told me, you see the true character of a person in the pressure of a sporting environment. There is nowhere to hide, and even when exposed and under intense scrutiny, Daniel has maintained his integrity and good humour, exemplified by his sign off after Singapore. Speculation was rife as to what was happening, and criticism of Red Bull widespread, but not once did he engage in it, he simply thanked the team and fans. He even took the time to find his successor Liam Lawson, shake his hand and wish him well.

What’s true in F1, TV and life in general, is that authenticity is everything. Fans see through the fake in a heartbeat. So when things weren’t working out for Daniel, it was about leaving with dignity, rather than forcing a smile. His next stop, wherever that is, will be supercharged by his effervescence, just as F1 has been until now. Our loss, their gain.