Daniel Ricciardo talks about the 2014 season linking it to his time in McLaren during the nightmare of what was the 2022 season. He recalls the rivalry with Sebastian Vettel during the Beyond the Grid Podcast.
The Australian driver signed for Red Bull’s junior outfit Toro Rosso back in the 2010 season. After a decent test performance with the team, he signed up for HRT for the 2011 season.
Two seasons with Toro Rosso continued and then came the call from the senior team. Replacing Mark Webber, Daniel Ricciardo did have some big shoes to fill.
Daniel Ricciardo’s ‘unexpected’ victory over Sebastian Vettel
Daniel Ricciardo did not just fill the shoes left by Webber but also made a name for himself due to his extraordinary 2014 season. He secured the third position in the world championship ahead of four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel.
It was unexpected and as the now third driver of the British team would say, neither his dad could dream of that happening. But it did and changed the dynamics of the team.
As no one expected Ricciardo to beat Vettel, he did not have any pressure of the same. It helped him to grow and become a better driver despite the decline in the years ahead.
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Daniel Ricciardo was favored winning against Lando Norris during his time at McLaren
The pressure did come in McLaren for the Honey Badger as he was the senior driver in comparison to Lando Norris. Relating it to how it went in Red Bull, the pressure did not pay off.
All the fans and journalists did expect Ricciardo to defeat Norris but things did not go his way. After a while of poor performances, in his own words, Ricciardo explained that he became an underdog.
The bar is low when you become an underdog, the expectations decrease as well. It is more of a surprise for the team when the Australian driver defeats Norris on any given race day.
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