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Daniel Ricciardo is on the precipice of a special record ahead of the 2022 F1 Spanish GP. The McLaren driver will overtake Mark Webber to become the most experienced Australian F1 driver when he races at the Circuit de Catalunya later this weekend.
Webber started his F1 career with Minardi in 2002 before subsequently driving for Jaguar and Williams. The Australian then drove with Red Bull for seven seasons, helping Christian Horner and Co. dominate F1 between 2010 and 2013 alongside Sebastian Vettel.
Having spent three seasons with HRT and then Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri), Daniel Ricciardo was Webber's immediate replacement at Red Bull when the turbo-hybrid era of F1 started.
Since then, the 32-year-old has raced for Renault and is now with his current team McLaren for a combined 215 race starts to tie with Webber.
Ricciardo is the only current driver from the continent competing in F1. The Honey Badger has eight wins, 32 podiums, and 125 points finishes in his time in the sport.
"That heat was pretty real" - Daniel Ricciardo recounts dehydration battle during inaugural Miami GP
Daniel Ricciardo's drive during the 2022 F1 Miami GP took a toll on the Australian due to heat and the effects of dehydration.
To save some weight, McLaren chose not to have the full allotment (three liters) of water in Ricciardo's car, which made his time around the Miami International Autodrome difficult.
Speaking in an interview after the race, the former Red Bull driver said:
“Yes, it has that heat factor. It’s also tough because everyone is obviously fighting for that last bit of weight. So, we don’t have the luxury of putting three liters in the hydration system. So, we have a little bit, but it’s never enough fluid. So of course, you get dehydrated. And yeah, that heat was pretty real. Everybody’s obviously been working hard here. And it’s hot, drivers, mechanics, everybody feels that heat.”
Ricciardo could only manage a P13 finish on a day when Lando Norris suffered his first DNF of the season after a crash with Pierre Gasly.
As F1 returns to Europe, Ricciardo and McLaren will be hoping for a better race at the Circuit de Catalunya. The 2022 F1 Spanish GP will be held between May 20 and May 22.
