Daniel Ricciardo stands as one of the most likable drivers on the grid, owing to his ‘Honey Badger’ persona. The Australian driver exudes a charming personality whenever he’s off the tracks and comes off as a sweet and approachable guy. However, once Ricciardo takes his place in a race car, he becomes a whole new person who is extremely aggressive and is on a mission to overtake everyone on the grid.
Ricciardo’s dual nature came to the forefront owing mostly to Netflix’s Drive to Survive. While some take it to be good publicity, many criticize Ricciardo for his entertaining side, claiming it is a bad look for the sport. Some even confuse the Australian as more of an entertainer than a driver. Addressing the same in an interview with Red Bull, Ricciardo shined a light on the negative impact of the docu-series.
Mentioning instances from his life, the 34-year-old claimed it often becomes confusing for him to separate the real from the reel. For example, some people would come up to him and say, “You were great in that season,” and the Australian would scratch his head, thinking whether they spoke about the racing season or DTS. As such, Ricciardo asserts he wants to be known as a racing driver before anything else.
“I want to make sure I’m seen as a race car driver who’s still hungry and determined and not someone who’s just here for a good time.”
Apart from the fans of the sport, even some past champions of F1 and several experts are not huge fans of Ricciardo, owing to his nonchalant approach to life away from the tracks. His constantly smiling avatar has often invited unnecessary troubles.
Daniel Ricciardo recently faced a triggering question from a journalist
The Mexico City Grand Prix stood as AlphaTauri‘s best outing of the season, with Daniel Ricciardo registering the team’s best finish in a race. Having qualified for the feature race in P4, the Australian crossed the line in P7, adding valuable points to the team’s tally. While his diving skills were certainly helpful in achieving the result, a burning question from a local journalist fueled Ricciardo’s performance even more.
The journalist asked Ricciardo, “Are you more of an entertainer or a racing driver?” Ricciardo retired to his garage, potentially sulking over the question, but used the anger within him to put forth one of the best performances of the season. While it was an infuriating incident, Ricciardo has been the subject of many such tales. Former F1 world champion Jody Scheckter even commented on his ever-smiling persona as being not good enough for a Red Bull seat. Per Sheckter, the Australian did not carry his edge from the earlier days and that he had gone soft since leaving Red Bull. However, Ricciardo continues to prove everyone wrong with his impressive performances race after race.
