
| Name | Daniel Ricciardo |
| Country | Australia |
| Place of Birth | Perth |
| Date of Birth | Jul 1st 1989 - 23 years old |
| First Race | Jul 10th 2011 British Grand Prix result |
| Last Race | Jun 9th 2013 Canadian F1 GP result |
| Best Qualifying | 6 - Apr 22nd 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix result |
| Best Result | 7 - Apr 14th 2013 Chinese F1 GP result |
| Races | 38 |
| Drivers' Titles | 0 |
| Victories | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Points | 17 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Laps | 2134 |
After the remarkable success of Sebastian Vettel the attention now turns to who will be the next superstar to make the grade from Red Bull’s famed driving school.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo is the perhaps the hottest prospect, and could well be Vettel’s team mate in 2014 should the constructor’s champions opt against handing 36 year-old Mark Webber a new contract. However for that for happen the 23 year-old has admitted he will need to “convincingly” outperform his team mate Jean-Eric Vergne in what promises to be one of the more fascinating sub-plots in 2013.
Red Bull has been ruthless with their young drivers who have not quite made the grade in the past. 12 months ago both Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguesuari, who had respectable 2011 seasons, were replaced so Ricciardo needs to fully utilise his talents this season to impress the hierarchy.
The former Formula Renault and Formula Three champion got his F1 break through mid-way through the 2011 season when the now liquidated HRT team signed him to replace Narain Karthikeyan. An agreement was reached between Red Bull and HRT and Ricciardo raced until the end of the season, albeit in the grids slowest car.
After a tough baptism of fire, which saw him finish only as high as 18th, Ricciardo made the expected step to sign for Torro Rosso, the team where Red Bull’s junior drivers hone their talents. Even before a wheel had been turned it was expected that Mark Webber’s eventual replacement at Red Bull would be one of Ricciardo or his debutant team mate Vergne, creating a fascinating rivalry. This was intensified when Ricciardo overtook Vergne on the final lap on the season’s opening race in Australia
to take 9th and an extra championship point.
A 6th placed qualifying place in Bahrain, the season’s fourth race, led many to compare him with Vettel. However a poor start cost him big points. Unfortunately for both Ricciardo and Vergne Torro Rosso fell behind their midfield rivals in the development race and their cars couldn’t compete at many races for points. Despite this, Ricciardo battled hard and four points’ finishes out of five races earned praise up and down the grid. However, despite being the more convincing of the two protégées, Ricciardo finished behind Vergne in the final standings by a substantial six points.
2013 is a make or break year for the cheerful Melbourne-born racer. Success could lead him to Red Bull. Failure could lead him without a Formula One race seat.
| Year | Team | Engine | Races | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Podiums | Poles | Laps | Fastest | Avg Pts | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 |
Toro Rosso |
Ferrari | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 400 | 0 | 1.00 | 7 |
| 2012 |
Toro Rosso |
Ferrari | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1175 | 0 | 0.50 | 10 |
| 2011 |
HRT |
Cosworth | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 559 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Season | Team | Team Mate | Best Pos | Points | Wins | Poles | Position | Qualifying | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | HRT | Narain Karthikeyan | 18 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Vitantonio Liuzzi | 16 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 5 | ||
| 2012 | Toro Rosso | Jean-Eric Vergne | 9 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 4 |
| 2013 | Toro Rosso | Jean-Eric Vergne | 7 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |