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Not only is he one of the most lovable characters on the F1 grid but Daniel Ricciardo is also one of the best. Since joining the Red Bull Racing team in 2013 Ricciardo has been a sensation claiming 7 wins and 29 podiums in his time so far. Ricciardo has taken 2 wins already in the 2018 season with just one more race to go at Abudhabi.
Nicknamed the Honey Badger, he has captivated us with his dynamic style and impressive overtaking maneuvers.
The Australian fans love him and so does the rest of the world, with over 1.5 million followers on Twitter and Instagram. He is always seen with a smile on his face and the constant positive attitude is why fans of the sport took to him instantly.
Let's have a look at the top 5 races of his career so far as Daniel Ricciardo is all set to join Renault from 2019.
#5 - 2014 Belgian Grand Prix
2014 was a good year for the Australian driver and this race was certainly one of the reasons why. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton touched on the second lap resulting in a puncture for the British driver, Nico Rosberg was later booed during the podium celebrations. The incident then played into the hands of the Red Bull driver of Ricciardo.
Nico Rosberg pit early after the second lap incident caused damage to his front wing. The damage was causing extra wear on his front tyres so they had to make a change on lap eight, this allowed Ricciardo to take the lead. Ricciardo was running a low downforce set up to maximize the DRS zones during the race, he used them to overtake Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari on lap four and quickly caught up to his team mate, four time world champion Sebastian Vettel. On lap five Vettel ran wide at Pouhon which put his right rear on the astroturf which thanks to the overnight rain was still wet, this caused a slide for Vettel which was well controlled but made it easy for Ricciardo to pass.
Ricciardo drove a great race that weekend being able to hold back Nico Rosberg who after his pit stop ten laps to go was catching two seconds a lap to the Red Bull driver. He showed great experience for a man who was in his first season at the big team. A fantastic race from both driver and team.
#4 - 2018 China Grand Prix
One from this year now and his first victory of the season. With Mercedes and Ferrari fighting it out to be the best team on the grid a few people forgot about Red Bull and their Aussie driver. This race highlighted his ability in the late braking zones. He passed Kimi Raikkonen into fifth place, got passed Max Verstappen after he went wide trying to overtake Lewis Hamilton. He then made a great move on Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel before taking Valtteri Bottas to secure his sixth F1 victory.
This was a race that highlighted just how good of a racer Daniel Ricciardo is. The Bottas overtake was immense, Bottas looked to have defended well heading into the turn six but Ricciardo dived fairly down the inside and was able to get the move done without incident and with both drivers fighting fairly. Ricciardo started the day in sixth place and winning seemed like a long shot with both Ferrari's, both Mercedes and his team mate ahead of him but he pulled it off showcasing the talent he undoubtedly possesses.
#3 - 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
This was a race to forget for some but for Daniel Ricciardo, it was one of his best. Starting from P19 on the grid to finish P4 was a phenomenal achievement. This was the weekend where the both Red Bull cars failed Parc Ferme scrutineering and their qualifying times were wiped from the timing sheets. He was allowed to race and that is exactly what he did.
Ricciardo finished the 2014 season third in the drivers championship with only Hamilton and Rosberg in front of him, a great end to his first F1 season with Red Bull Racing. He rounded off 2014 in style with this race and if you have the chance watch back the highlights of the race just to see the Australian in action. You might even spot him overtaking two cars in the same corner.
#2 - 2014 Canada Grand Prix
His first F1 victory came in Montreal in his first season with the Red Bull Racing team. This race had everything from Lewis Hamilton retiring due to brake failure, Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez hitting each other at turn one on the final lap of the race to Nico Rosberg escaping a penalty after cutting the chicane whilst being chased down by this team mate Lewis Hamilton.
With Nico Rosberg also struggling with brakes during the race this was Ricciardo's time to pounce. He managed to pass Perez and quickly caught up to Rosberg who he passed on the final straight with two laps to go.
This may not have been his best race in terms of overtaking but to win a race in F1 you have to be ready for an opportunity to arise should cars in front have issues and that is certainly what he did.
#1 - 2018 Monaco Grand Prix
Number one is the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. A victory two years in the making after the pit stop nightmare that cost Ricciardo in the 2016 race after the team did not have the tyres ready when he came into the pits which resulted in him losing the lead to Hamilton.
His fantastic pole lap on Saturday was the decider of the weekend, a 1:10.810 put him ahead of Sebastian Vettel who crossed the line with a 1:11.039. Daniel Ricciardo lead the pack heading into the first corner and his only real trouble came on lap 28 where he started to experience a loss of power, it turned out to be an MGU-K failure which gave him a horsepower disadvantage to Vettel behind and only six gears available to use. The problem could not be fixed so Ricciardo had to spend the remaining 50 laps making sure his corner entry was absolute perfection, making no errors for Vettel to pounce on. If this had been any other track Ricciardo would not have won this race but the tight Monaco street circuit gave him the opportunity he needed to see out the race. Ricciardo was voted the best driver of the race.
What a win for him and for the team and you can't win the Monaco GP with Red Bull without going into the pool. These have been some great races by Daniel Ricciardo, here's to more in the near future.
