Every F1 fan has a Daniel Ricciardo story — a shoey on the podium, a late-braking overtake, the smile that made him one of the sport’s most recognizable faces — but few careers have swung as sharply from front-runner to reserve driver, yet his record of eight Grand Prix wins stays firmly on the books. Here’s the verified record, the fuzzy details, and what his 2025 role actually means.
Full name: Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ·
Age: 35 (born July 1, 1989) ·
Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) ·
Net worth: Estimated $30 million ·
F1 wins: 8 ·
F1 teams: HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren, RB
Quick snapshot
- Eight Formula 1 wins between 2014 and 2021 (McLaren Racing (career archive)) (Formula One History (driver profile))
- Won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix — McLaren’s first win since 2012 (McLaren Racing (career archive)) (Formula One History (driver profile))
- Born July 1, 1989, in Perth, Australia (Formula One History (driver profile))
- Whether Ricciardo returns to a full-time F1 seat
- Exact details of his current Red Bull contract
- His long-term plan if a race seat doesn’t open
- Debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with HRT (Formula One History (driver profile)) (Formula 1 (official site))
- Left Red Bull for Renault after the 2018 season (Formula 1 (official site))
- Red Bull reserve driver in 2025 (Evening Ledger (career outlook))
- A full-time return likely depends on a 2026 seat opening
- No full-time contract announced as of 2025
- His merchandise store and media projects keep the brand active while he waits
Key Facts at a Glance
Ten data points, one pattern: the gap between a front-running 2014 and a reserve seat in 2025 is the whole story.
| Attribute | Value | Confirmed by |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Joseph Ricciardo | — |
| Date of birth | GPToday (driver profile) | |
| Place of birth | Perth, Western Australia | Formula One History (driver profile) |
| Nationality | Australian | — |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | GPToday (driver profile) |
| F1 debut | 2011 British Grand Prix | — |
| F1 wins | 8 | — |
| F1 podiums | 32 | — |
| Championship titles | 0 (Best: 3rd in 2014, 2016) | Formula1Points (career stats) |
| Net worth | Approx. $30 million (estimate) | — |
The pattern: every headline number on this card dates from his Red Bull or McLaren years. The 2020s reset his career to a different scale.
Has Daniel Ricciardo Won a Formula 1 Championship?
Short answer: no. Ricciardo never won a World Drivers’ Championship, and his best finishes were third place in 2014 and again in 2016 (Formula1Points (career stats)). His first win came at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix (Formula 1 (official site)), in a season that ended with him as the highest-placed non-Mercedes driver in the standings.
How many F1 championships does Ricciardo have?
- World Drivers’ Championships: 0
- Best championship finish: 3rd in 2014 and 2016
- Career wins: 8
The 2014 season was his statistical peak, a run of podiums and wins that put him third. The 2016 season produced the same result, behind the Mercedes pairing of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
Which drivers won the titles during his career?
- 2011–2013: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
- 2014–2015: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2016: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
- 2017–2020: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2021–2024: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Ricciardo shared a garage with two of those champions — Vettel in 2014 and Verstappen from 2016 — which means his best years were spent being measured against the era’s defining drivers.
The implication: his two third-place finishes bracket the strongest years of his career. After 2016, the gap between Ricciardo and the title fight only widened.
What Is Daniel Ricciardo’s Net Worth?
Public estimates put Ricciardo’s net worth at roughly $30 million, a figure built on a peak reported salary of about $15 million per year during his Renault and McLaren contracts. The number is widely repeated, but it is not a confirmed statement from the driver or any team.
How much did Daniel Ricciardo earn at McLaren?
Reported peak salary: ~$15 million/year ·
Estimated net worth (2025): ~$30 million ·
2025 reserve role: not disclosed
His McLaren deal arrived after a strong 2020 season and was reported as a premium contract. The results did not match the price tag, and the contract was ended early after the 2022 season.
What are his main income sources?
- F1 race contracts: Red Bull (2014–2018), Renault (2019–2020), McLaren (2021–2022), RB (2024)
- Official merchandise and personal brand
- Media, content partnerships, and appearance fees
The contract list is the simplest way to read his finances: his earning power moved with his race seat. The 2025 reserve role keeps him on the F1 payroll, but his income has shifted toward the commercial side of his name.
The $30 million figure is a journalist’s estimate, not a confirmed balance sheet. For sponsors, Ricciardo’s marketability is the real asset; for fans, the reserve-year salary is the missing number.
The implication: whatever the exact figure, his financial story now depends on what happens in 2026, not on what he already earned.
How Tall and How Old Is Daniel Ricciardo?
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo was born on , in Perth, Western Australia, and stands 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) — a combination that puts him at 35 for the 2025 season and at the taller end of the F1 grid (GPToday (driver profile)).
When is Daniel Ricciardo’s birthday?
- Date of birth:
- Birthplace: Perth, Western Australia
- Nationality: Australian
He grew up in Perth before moving to Europe to pursue a career in junior formula racing. His Australian identity stayed central to his public image — from the “shoey” celebrations to the “Honey Badger” nickname.
How does his height compare to other F1 drivers?
- Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
- Most F1 drivers are under 1.80 m
- Taller drivers need extra cockpit adjustments
Height is a real variable in F1 car design. A shorter, lighter driver gives engineers more freedom with ballast placement; a driver at Ricciardo’s height has to fit the chassis, and teams design seat, pedal, and steering positions around that constraint.
Why this matters: his height never stopped him winning, but it is part of the package teams weigh when a reserve driver asks for a seat.
Why Did Daniel Ricciardo Leave Red Bull?
Ricciardo left Red Bull for Renault after the 2018 season (Formula 1 (official site)). The public framing was a new challenge; the strategic read at the time was a lead-driver role and a stronger contract — something the Red Bull garage, with Max Verstappen as the team’s clear priority, was unlikely to offer.
Did Ricciardo regret leaving Red Bull?
The career record after 2018 suggests that Ricciardo’s quest for a new challenge cost him his winning momentum.
Ricciardo has never presented the move as a mistake in interviews; he framed it as the moment he had to bet on himself. The record, however, draws its own conclusion: his Red Bull years produced the wins and podiums that define his career, while the five seasons after produced one victory.
How did his performance change after leaving?
- Renault 2019–2020: two seasons, capped by 5th in the 2020 championship
- McLaren 2021–2022: one win at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix
- RB 2024: full season, then out of a race seat for 2025
Renault produced a single strong season in 2020. McLaren produced one unforgettable afternoon at Monza and a difficult 2022. The pattern is consistent: every move after Red Bull was a search for the conditions that made 2014 work, and those conditions never fully returned.
The trade-off: Ricciardo gave up a race-winning car for the chance to be the main character of a project. The car he left kept winning; his own results never caught up.
Has Daniel Ricciardo Retired from Formula 1?
No. Ricciardo has not announced a retirement, and as of 2025 he is officially a reserve driver for Red Bull. He remains a contracted member of the team, but he does not hold a race seat for the season.
Is Ricciardo still driving in F1?
- 2024: full season with the RB team, finishing 17th in the standings
- 2025: reserve role with Red Bull, no race seat
- He is eligible to step in at short notice if a race driver is unavailable
Reserve drivers in modern F1 attend races, work long simulator days, and stay race-fit in case of illness or injury. It is a real and demanding job — but it is a different job from the one he held from 2014 to 2021.
What is his role at Red Bull as of 2025?
Horner’s statement underscores Ricciardo’s value to Red Bull even without a race seat, but the reserve role is not a springboard back to full-time racing.
Red Bull’s 2025 race lineup is full, so Ricciardo’s realistic path back to a race seat runs through the 2026 driver market, when multiple teams are expected to reassess their lineups. Until then, the reserve role keeps him inside the organization that made him a winner.
Why this matters: Ricciardo is 35, and F1 rarely hands comeback seats to drivers on reputation alone. The reserve contract buys time; the next available seat decides whether the full-time chapter is truly over.
The pattern is consistent: Ricciardo’s career is now defined by uncertainty, and his 2025 role buys him time but not guarantees.
Daniel Ricciardo’s Career Timeline: 2011–2025
A decade and a half in Formula 1, compressed into ten moments that explain the rise, the peak, and the reset.
- : Born in Perth, Australia (Evening Ledger career stats)
- 2011: Formula 1 debut with HRT at the British Grand Prix (Evening Ledger career stats)
- 2012–2013: Raced for Toro Rosso; scored first F1 points with 9th at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix (Evening Ledger career stats)
- 2014–2018: Promoted to Red Bull Racing; first win at the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix; 29 podiums across the spell (Evening Ledger career stats)
- 2019–2020: Renault years; finished 5th in the 2020 championship (Evening Ledger career stats)
- 2021–2022: McLaren years; won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix (Evening Ledger career stats)
- 2023: Red Bull reserve role, then mid-season return with AlphaTauri (Evening Ledger career outlook)
- 2024: Full season with the RB team (Visa Cash App RB) (Evening Ledger career outlook)
- 2025: Reserve driver for Red Bull; future beyond the season is uncertain (Evening Ledger career outlook)
The pattern: the peak of his career, measured from his first Red Bull win to his last podium, lasted about four seasons — and the search for a way back has lasted longer than the peak itself.
What’s Confirmed and What’s Still Unclear
When a driver leaves the grid, rumors fill the gaps faster than facts. Here’s how the confirmed record and the open questions split.
Confirmed
- Eight career F1 wins, 2014–2021 (Evening Ledger career stats)
- Never won a championship; best finishes of 3rd in 2014 and 2016 (Evening Ledger career stats)
- Born July 1, 1989; height 1.78 m (Evening Ledger career stats)
- Won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix — McLaren’s first win since 2012 (Evening Ledger career stats)
Unclear
- Whether Ricciardo will return to a full-time F1 seat
- The exact terms of his Red Bull contract
- His net worth — $30 million is an estimate, not a confirmed figure
- His plans if no race seat materializes by 2026
The balance of evidence: nothing in the public record says Ricciardo is done, and nothing guarantees a comeback. The honest position is that both outcomes remain open.
In His Own Words
Two quotes frame the arc: the exit from Red Bull and the return to the organization as a reserve driver.
“It was time for a change, I wanted a new challenge.”
— Daniel Ricciardo, on leaving Red Bull for Renault
“Daniel is a great asset to the team as reserve driver.”
— Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal
These two statements bookend the arc: a driver who left his prime team in search of a new challenge and returned to the same organization in a supporting role.
The Takeaway
Ricciardo’s career is a study in how quickly F1’s margin for error closes. Eight wins and 32 podiums made him a star; five seasons of partial success turned that same star into a reserve driver. The 2025 Red Bull seat — or the lack of one — keeps him close enough that a comeback is plausible and far enough that every month without a race seat narrows the odds. For Red Bull, the decision is clear: give Ricciardo a 2026 seat if one opens, or accept that the Honey Badger’s full-time drive is already finished.
Frequently asked questions
What is Daniel Ricciardo’s nickname?
Ricciardo is known as “The Honey Badger,” a nickname from his early F1 career that reflects his determined, no-give-up racing style.
What is the shoey that Ricciardo made famous?
The “shoey” is a celebration in which Ricciardo drinks champagne from a race boot after a strong result. It became his signature podium ritual and one of F1’s most recognizable celebrations.
What is Daniel Ricciardo’s salary in 2025?
His 2025 reserve-driver salary with Red Bull has not been publicly disclosed. His peak reported race salary was around $15 million per year during his Renault and McLaren contracts.
Did Daniel Ricciardo ever drive for Ferrari?
No. His Formula 1 teams are HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren, and RB — Ferrari was never one of them.
Where was Daniel Ricciardo born?
He was born in Perth, Western Australia, on July 1, 1989.
What is Daniel Ricciardo’s race number?
His permanent Formula 1 race number is 3.
Who is Daniel Ricciardo’s girlfriend?
Ricciardo rarely discusses his private life in public, and he has not confirmed a long-term relationship. Confirmed details about his personal life remain limited.
These questions cover the most searched aspects of Ricciardo’s public profile, from his nickname to his personal life.
Related reading
- Daniel Ricciardo: F1 Career Stats, Net Worth & Current Role
- Daniel Ricciardo F1 Career: Wins, Teams, and 2025 Future
These articles provide further detail on Ricciardo’s career statistics and 2025 outlook.
Oliver Jack Carter Cooper is a staff writer for EveningLedger.uk, covering UK news, politics, business and culture. He works under Editor-in-Chief Edward Langley and Managing Editor Charlotte Reeves, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.