There’ve been lots of great athletes in sports. But the ones who have stood out and continue to be idolized years after their retirement are the ones who have been resilient enough to stay at the highest level for long. Among them is Michael Jordan, someone who has been credited with changing basketball forever.
Some of the things Jordan became globally famous for—other than his skills with the ball in his hand—were his hard work and ‘never give up’ attitude. And for those aspiring to reach the highest level of motorsport, developing a similar mindset is of paramount importance.
Perhaps that’s what helped Daniel Ricciardo become an eight-time Grand Prix winner. In 2018, in a Players’ Tribune article, the Honey Badger shared an interesting and rather inspiring anecdote involving Jordan.
Still a long way away from making waves in the world of motorsport, a young Ricciardo had a poster of the former Chicago Bulls guard on the walls of his room.
“It was the famous photo of him at the dunk contest in ’88. He’s mid-flight, just freaking soaring,” Ricciardo wrote.
Every morning, when the Perth-born driver woke up, he would take a look at the poster before going to school and say to himself, “O.K., you gonna be MJ today?“
Clearly, Ricciardo wanted to be like Jordan, and did his best to emulate him on a daily basis. However, he did admit that he was yet to develop the ‘killer instinct’ he had gone on to become famous for later in his F1 career. “I was just a kid,” Ricciardo explained.
Pierre Gasly having dinner with basketball legend Michael Jordan
Daniel Ricciardo: #F1 #Formula1 #PierreGasly #DanielRicciardo #Motorsport pic.twitter.com/92dxCPE9p4— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) May 5, 2022
That said, those around him taught him how to be mentally resilient—and how to defeat opponents even before the race began—from an early age. Ricciardo’s dad, Joe, got him a driving coach when he decided he would pursue racing as his career, and one of the first things Joe told him to do before a race was to go wish his rival ‘good luck’.
For sportsmanship? Sure. But also to throw the person off his feet—something Jordan was known all too well for.
“I said, “I … he doesn’t even like me. I don’t like him. Why would I do that?”,” the ex-Red Bull driver continued. “You’ll mess with his head. Just do it,” the coach replied.
What happened next, shocked even Ricciardo.
“I walked over, looked the kid in the eye, shook his hand and wished him luck. His handshake was soft, and he looked like he had seen a ghost.”
“I beat him that day. It wasn’t even close. Michael Jordan would’ve been proud.”
In the years to come, Ricciardo would build a reputation as a smiling, upbeat figure off the track—someone who transformed into a ruthless competitor the moment the helmet went on. That is what earned him the nickname “Honey Badger”—an animal that may not look threatening, but is known for its ferocity.
Unfortunately, Ricciardo’s career didn’t end on that high note. Since leaving Red Bull in 2019, he began to lose his fighting edge, struggling to adapt to F1’s evolving technical regulations. He spent two seasons with Renault before enduring a nightmarish stint at McLaren, who ultimately let him go in 2022.
Ricciardo returned to Red Bull via its sister team AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) in 2023, but poor performances led to another dismissal—this time, perhaps, for good.
Even so, his career—shaped by inspiration from Jordan—certainly featured flashes of that same mindset during his prime.
