Is there anything not to like about Daniel Ricciardo, this season’s Formula One surprise package?
Unless, of course, you are a rival driver and you would put in plenty of effort to undermine the cheerful Australian, who looks set to one day become the world champion.
The 25-year-old Red Bull newcomer has not only outshone his teammate Sebastian Vettel, the champion four times, he has alerted championship front runners Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg that he is fired up to steal a march on the Mercedes men.
He may not do it this season, such is the points deficit, but as the only winner other than Hamilton and Rosberg he has the alarm bells ringing a warning that before he is much older he will be a positive contender for the coveted crown.
And, in a wider sense, way beyond the circuit barriers, he is the personification of warmth and modesty to such an impressive degree he is already the clear champion in the fans’ popularity polls.
Little wonder. His mega-watt smile, allied to a readiness to respond to the toughest questions and confrontations even in the heat of the moment in a mood of utter relaxation, is a joy to all of us who over the years have rarely enjoyed such a winning reaction far removed from the gloomy likes of, say, Kimi Raikkonen.
More than that, his underlying talent behind the wheel is a guarantee of greatness and, surely, a run of titles well deserved.
His fast rising reputation has stirred even new title pacemaker Hamilton to confess: “I am very, very conscious that Daniel is very, very close.
“When you are catching two cars, two drivers like me and Nico, who are battling, you can sometimes overtake both of them.”
There were not too many people in Formula One rejoicing when the popular Mark Webber, at war with Vettel, was replaced by fellow Aussie Ricciardo, a fairly anonymous product of Toro Rosso, the Red Bull feeder team.
And the fearful forecast — by me included — was that the newcomer would dwell in the shadows of genius Vettel. How wrong could we be? He has stunned us all by making Vettel an also-ran, third to the German’s fifth place in the championship.
It all started with his Sicilian father Joe, who invested loads of money sending his 17-year-old son to Formula Medicine, a driver academy working alongside Toro Rosso. That is where Ricciardo learned his trade, trained himself to exhaustion and put himself on a strict diet and early night regime.
The result, a champion in the making who says: “I never believed I would end up in F1. What I did have was massive determination. And, when the other guys were out having a beer and partying, I stayed home to eat and sleep well and do everything right.
“I may look to have a happy-go-lucky attitude, but there is another side to my character. A hunger for success. And I don’t care what sacrifices I have to make to achieve my goal.”
His delighted boss Christian Horner hailed Ricciardo: “Behind that famous smile there is a ruthless determination. In that sense he is similar to Sebastian. At no point has he looked ruffled. He has a wonderful inner strength and balance not to allow any distraction, however chaotic, to affect his driving.
“He comes on the radio in a race and it is like he is sitting down with a cup of tea and driving one-handed, even in the heat of combat. He is very calm and collected and takes everything in his stride.”
And all reflected in a dazzlingly toothy grin as infectious and impressive as his towering ability. Win or lose.
— The writer is a freelance motorsport journalist
