F1 is a world of battling and fierce competition. Fanbases are deeply divided and polarised. But there’s one person who bucks the trend – Daniel Ricciardo. There has possibly not been a universally liked F1 driver other than the Australian.

Daniel Ricciardo first made waves in his career with a great stint at Red Bull. With people hyping up the Aussie’s driving skills, a lot was expected from him as he made his way to Renault, and later McLaren. Unfortunately, that’s not how things panned out.

Regardless, the driver has been great friends with all the partners he has had in his career. His camaraderie is not dependent on being teammates; it extends to any and all on the grid – rival or not.

Among one of his closest friends on the F1 grid is Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque, although has never shared a team with the Australian, has an adorable and warm friendship with him.

A social media video from 2019 shows a snippet of their friendship. The video is shot on a flight that the two were on. Daniel waiting outside the restroom said “30 minutes man! What were you doing in there? 30 minutes! (Both laugh).”

Later, Leclerc took his revenge on Ricciardo. While Ricciardo was in a deep slumber, Leclerc took an embarrassing video of him. He even tried to disturb him, but Danny continued snoring. 

We’ve also seen other moments of their companionship. Earlier this season, Danny interrupted Charles’ interview after he won the pole position in qualifying. He whispered something in Leclerc’s ears, which could not be caught but showed what good friends they are.

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Banter and drivers pranking each other are what people love to see. It’s rare in F1, but when Danny is there, that’s what you’re most likely going to get. And we’ll miss that about him.

Daniel Ricciardo will have to take a step back in order to move forward

Ricciardo’s career hit a low this season. The Australian was contracted with McLaren before the team decided it was enough.

McLaren signed Oscar Piastri and terminated their contract with Danny. Moreover, he hasn’t been able to find a seat for himself for the next season yet. With just 4 races remaining, it looks highly unlikely he will.

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After a lot of speculation ever since his contract termination was announced, Ricciardo recently revealed that he won’t be racing in F1 in 2023. He said “I think the reality is now I won‘t be on the grid in 2023. I think it’s now just trying to set up for 2024. think that there could be some better opportunities then, so that‘s really what all this confirms and now where the sights are set.”

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Seeing such a bright talent go out so unceremoniously is definitely disappointing. Fans of the sport will be hoping that Ricciardo can find his mojo back, and we can have another season of his brilliant racing.