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Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most likeable characters on the Formula One grid and when he wins a Grand Prix, fans, pundits, and other drivers seem to be elated for the seasoned Australian driver.
The driver is currently in his ninth F1 season, driving for the well-established McLaren team. Since his introduction to the championship with Red Bull, he's only been to one other team, excluding McLaren. He spent the 2019 and 2020 season with Renault, a stint during which he didn't get a single podium.
Nonetheless, the Australian has put together some pretty remarkable races over the years. In this piece, we will be looking back at three of Ricciardo's best wins in F1.
#3 Monza GP 2021
Daniel Ricciardo won the Italian GP with a stunning McLaren one-two finish, which was the team's first win since Jenson Button's final win in Brazil in 2012. Though the Australian was helped by Max Verstappen's clash with Lewis Hamilton, there remains no doubt that he deserved to win the race.
Despite a tough start with McLaren, the pace that the driver showed at Monza silenced critics, with him quoting over the team radio as he crossed the finish line:
"For anyone who thought I'd left, I never left."
#2 Azerbaijan GP 2017
Baku is often characterized by chaos, and the 2017 Azerbaijan GP was no different at all. Daniel Ricciardo had a mediocre qualification, starting tenth on the grid in his Red Bull and even dropped as low as 17th during the race.
Race leaders Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel clashed during Lap 17, bringing out the safety car - something that opened an oppourtunity for the Red Bull driver.
He picked off the drivers ahead of him with ease, taking the chequered flag in first place, with the Williams of Lance Stroll and the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas rounding off a very unusual podium.
#1 Ricciardo at Monaco GP 2018
The Monaco GP of 2018 was probably Daniel Ricciardo's most famous win of his career and it was also his only win from pole position. However, his pole position didn't make it as easy as one would've thought.
Despite seemingly in control of the race in his Red Bull, a part of his power unit failed on Lap 28, causing him to lose a quarter of his engine output as well as the power of a few gears. On top of that, his brakes soon started to overheat as well.
With less engine power and the odds stacked against him, it looked as if a victory would all fall away from him, similar to 2016.
However, he miraculously managed to fend off Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari and win the race. With all his car issues coupled together and Vettel pushing him, it has to be the Australian's best victory of his F1 career so far.
