Daniel Ricciardo's teammates: Where are they now?

Daniel Ricciardo watches the action in the Red Bull Racing garage during the 2023 F1 Australian Grand Prix. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Daniel Ricciardo watches the action in the Red Bull Racing garage during the 2023 F1 Australian Grand Prix. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Daniel Ricciardo had several teammates while he was part of the F1 paddock. The Australian has been racing in the sport for a little over a decade. Though he is currently not on the grid, he has driven alongside a plethora of teammates. Similar to how his career has taken several turns, his teammates have also taken different routes.

Daniel Ricciardo's first ever teammate in F1 was Narain Karthikeyan at the HRT F1 team back in 2011, when the young Australian was contracted to the team by Red Bull. Narain Karthikeyan is currently managing his own two-wheeler trading company, DriveX.

In 2012, Daniel Ricciardo was promoted to Red Bull's sister team, Toro Rosso, where he drove alongside French driver Jean-Eric Vergne for two years. Jean-Eric Vergne remained at Toro Rosso until 2014 before leaving F1 to join Formula E. Currently, he is racing for DS Penske in Formula E alongside reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne.

Ricciardo quickly moved up the ranks and joined the Red Bull works team in 2014, where he drove alongside new teammate Sebastian Vettel. The German driver is currently retired from F1 and is simply spending quality time with his family. He recently took part in the 2023 Race of Champions tournament.

After Vettel left Red Bull to join Ferrari in 2015, he was replaced by Daniil Kvyat, who also got promoted from Toro Rosso. He raced alongside Ricciardo for two years. Currently, Kvyat has signed for Prema Racing for the 2023 FIA WEC (World Endurance Championship). Along with that, he will also make his Formula E debut with the NIO 333 team in the rookie drivers' test in Berlin.

After a poor performance, Daniil Kvyat was soon replaced by the young Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2016, who also came through from Toro Rosso. Max Verstappen still drives for Red Bull and has already won two world championships with the team. He is currently the fastest driver on the grid.

After four years with Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo switched teams to Renault (now Alpine), where he raced alongside Nico Hulkenberg. Hulkenberg also had an eventful career. He is currently making a comeback to the sport and is driving for the Haas F1 team.

In 2020, Nico Hulkenberg left F1 and was replaced by Esteban Ocon. Ocon is still with Alpine. He drives alongside Pierre Gasly, who was promoted from AlphaTauri.

In 2021, Daniel Ricciardo moved to McLaren, where he drove alongside Lando Norris for two years before taking a break from the sport. Lando Norris is still in the papaya British team and is racing alongside young Australian, Oscar Piastri.


Daniel Ricciardo wants to return to F1 with a high performing team

Although Daniel Ricciardo left the sport at the end of the 2022 F1 season, he is still passionate about it and would like to make a return in the near future. However, he has expressed how he wants to return with a top team where he can get back into the groove of standing on podiums and winning races. Speaking to The Athletic, he said:

"I want to be back with a top team and a team where I have that confidence back and my mojo. To go back and to maybe put myself in any seat that’s fighting at best for like a top 10, I don’t think it’s going to bring the best out of me."

The Australian is currently working as a reserve driver for Red Bull. Only time will tell as to when Daniel Ricciardo will return to the F1 grid.

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