Few drivers in Formula 1 history have captured the hearts of fans quite like Daniel Ricciardo. Known for his enormous smile, his fearless overtakes and of course, the “shoey” celebration, the Australian became one of the most beloved personalities on the grid during his 14 seasons in the sport. But since his sudden exit from Racing Bulls (formerly VCARB) in 2024, fans have been asking the same questions over and over: what happened to Daniel Ricciardo, what is he doing now, and why did he leave F1 in the first place. In this article we go through everything you need to know about Daniel Ricciardo’s career, his personal life, his net worth and his life after Formula 1.
Who Is Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo was born on 1 July 1989 in Perth, Western Australia, to Italian-Australian parents. His dad Giuseppe “Joe” Ricciardo used to race himself at the local Barbagallo Raceway, which is probably were young Daniel got his love for motorsport from. He begun karting at just nine years old and worked his way up trough the junior categories, winning the British Formula 3 Championship in 2009 before eventually being signed to the Red Bull Junior Team.
Ricciardo made his Formula One debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the HRT team, before moving to Toro Rosso in 2012 and then getting promoted to the main Red Bull Racing team in 2014, replacing the retiring Mark Webber. It was there, alongside four time champion Sebastian Vettel, that Ricciardo really made a name for himself, winning three races in his very first season with the team.
Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Years
The Red Bull period is where most fans remember Ricciardo best. He picked up seven of his eight career Grand Prix wins while driving for the Milton Keynes squad, including a memorable victory at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix, his first ever F1 win. He finished third in the Drivers’ Championship in both 2014 and 2016, which remain the best results of his career.
Despite the success, Ricciardo shocked the paddock in 2018 when he announced he would leave Red Bull for Renault ahead of the 2019 season, saying he wanted a fresh challenge outside of the team that raised him since his junior days. This decision is still debated by fans today, since it more or less coincided with the rise of his old teammate Max Verstappen, who went on to dominate the sport in the years that followed.
Why Did Daniel Ricciardo Leave F1
This is probably the most searched question about him right now, so lets answear it directly. After his Red Bull exit, Ricciardo spend two seasons at Renault (2019-2020), where he scored two podiums but no wins, then joined McLaren for 2021 and 2022. He did win one more race with McLaren, a surprise victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but overall his time in Woking is remembered as a struggle. He couldn’t adapt to the car the same way teammate Lando Norris could, and McLaren eventually paid him to leave a year early so they could bring in Oscar Piastri for 2023.
That left Ricciardo without a seat, so Red Bull brought him back as a reserve driver. He got a lifeline mid way through the 2023 season, replacing Nyck de Vries at what was then AlphaTauri (later renamed VCARB, then Racing Bulls). His comeback was interrupted almost right away when he broke his hand in a practice crash at Zandvoort, and Liam Lawson filled in for five races while he recovered.
Ricciardo returned and kept his seat trough the rest of 2023 and into 2024, but he never found consistent form again, especially compared to teammate Yuki Tsunoda. So why did Daniel Ricciardo leave F1 for good? Simply put, Red Bull made the decision for him after a poor showing at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, where he could not get out of Q1 and finished 18th, despite setting the fastest lap of the race on his very last lap in the sport.
When Did Daniel Ricciardo Leave F1
The exact moment Daniel Ricciardo left F1 was after the Singapore Grand Prix weekend in September 2024. Red Bull announced four days later that Liam Lawson would be taking over the car “with immediate effect”, meaning Ricciardo’s F1 career effectively ended without him getting the traditional farewell most retiring drivers get. Many fans and journalists at the time called the handling of his exit “shambolic,” since neither Ricciardo nor the team confirmed beforehand that Singapore would be his last race. He officially confirmed his retirement from racing about a year later, in September 2025.
What Happened to Daniel Ricciardo
So, what happened to Daniel Ricciardo exactly? In short: his form dropped off after leaving Red Bull the first time in 2018, and he never fully recovered the level that made him a race winner. Two disappointing years at Renault, two more difficult years at McLaren, an injury during his comeback attempt, and finally losing out to Yuki Tsunoda at VCARB all added up to his F1 career winding down quietly rather then with one big dramatic goodbye. Ricciardo himself later admitted he was actually “grateful” that Red Bull made the decision for him, saying that being let go twice in a few years had taken alot out of him mentally, and that he had put so much of his soul into trying to perform that he felt exhausted by the end of it.
Daniel Ricciardo 2025
Throughout 2025 Ricciardo mostly stayed away from a full time racing seat. There was plenty of speculation linking him to the new Cadillac F1 team, which was entering the grid as America’s newest manufacturer entry, but ultimately nothing came of those rumors and the seats went to Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas instead. Ricciardo spend the year doing media work, including co hosting broadcasts, and by September 2025 he formally announced his retirement from motor racing.
What Is Daniel Ricciardo Doing Now
As of 2026, Daniel Ricciardo is not competing in Formula 1 or any other racing series full time. Instead, he took on a new role as the Global Ambassador for Ford Racing, Ford’s motorsport division, working closely with their Raptor truck brand and various racing programs. It’s a role that keeps him close to cars and to the sport he loves, without the physical and mental toll of a full F1 campaign. He also continues to be involved with the Daniel Ricciardo Series, a karting championship he founded back in 2019 to give young drivers aged 7 to 16 an affordable way into owner-driver karting.
Daniel Ricciardo Net Worth
Naturally, fans are also curious about Daniel Ricciardo net worth after such a long and successful career. Estimates differ quite alot depending on the source, but most trackers place his net worth somewhere between $50 million and $55 million USD as of 2026, while a few Australian “rich list” style reports have suggested figures well over $100 million once private investments and endorsements are factored in. Most of his fortune came from his driving salaries, which reportedly reached around $15 million a year during his time at Renault and McLaren, on top of numerous sponsorship deals, appearance fees, and now his Ford Racing ambassador role.
Ricciardo owns property in Monaco, Perth and Los Angeles, and is known to be a fan of nice cars, including a McLaren 720S and an Aston Martin Valkyrie, though he has also said he genuinely enjoys just driving a Ford F-150 Raptor around when he’s not working.
Daniel Ricciardo Wife and Girlfriend
Despite being one of the most followed drivers on social media, Daniel Ricciardo has never been married, so technically he does not have a “wife”. He is however in a long term relationship with Heidi Berger, an aspiring actress and the daughter of former F1 driver Gerhard Berger, who won ten Grand Prix during his own career with Ferrari and McLaren. Ricciardo and Berger are believed to have been together since around 2019, though the couple tend to keep their private life mostly out of the spotlight, and there has been no official confirmation of an engagement.
Daniel Ricciardo Helmet
Part of what made Ricciardo such a fan favorite was his ever changing helmet designs. For most of his early career at Red Bull and Toro Rosso, his helmet mostly followed the team’s colours, but once he moved to Renault in 2019 he was given creative freedom and things got alot more interesting. Working with Australian artist Nicolai Sclater, who goes by “Ornamental Conifer,” Ricciardo introduced a bold pink, green, blue and black design with the slogan “Stop Being Them” on the side and “Honey Badger” written on the back.
Every year after that brought a completely new theme: “Become Unstuck” with a leopard print base in 2020, “All Good All Ways” in McLaren orange for 2021, and a peach coloured “Present Momentum” design for 2022. He also wore several one off tribute helmets over the years, including a grey retro design honoring Sir Jack Brabham for F1’s 1000th race, a tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant, and a Texas Longhorns themed lid for the United States Grand Prix.
Why Is Daniel Ricciardo Called the Honey Badger
This is another question fans ask alot, and the answer actually comes straight from Ricciardo himself. He explained that the honey badger is considered one of the most fearless animals in the entire animal kingdom, and he felt that mirrored his own aggressive, no fear racing style, especially his love of late braking overtakes. The nickname also stuck because, according to Ricciardo, some rivals had underestimated his friendly, always smiling personality early in his career, mistaking his good nature for a lack of aggression on track. Adopting “Honey Badger” was a way of reminding everyone that behind the smile was one of the most fearless racers on the grid.
Final Thoughts
Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career came to an end in a way that felt far too quiet for a driver who brought so much personality and joy to the sport. Eight wins, 32 podiums and over 250 Grand Prix starts across teams like HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren and Racing Bulls tell the story of a genuine talent whose second half of career never quite matched his early promise. Still, “the Honey Badger” remains one of the most loved figures the sport has produced in the last decade, and even away from the grid in his new role with Ford Racing, his fans continue to follow every move he makes.
