Red Bull Era: Ricciardo on Success and Ego Control

Daniel Ricciardo reflects on a critical moment when a close friend called out his growing ego during his early Red Bull success, reminding him to stay grounded as fame began to change him.

Daniel Ricciardo recalls how a close friend warned him during his time at Red Bull, urging him to keep his ego in check as his F1 success was going to his head.

After two seasons with the junior team Toro Rosso, Ricciardo joined Red Bull Racing in 2014, where he earned the distinction of being the only non-Mercedes race winner that season, claiming victories in Canada, Hungary, and Belgium, and outpacing Red Bull’s four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, in the process.

However, Ricciardo admitted that from that point, he began to “get a bit weird” as success started affecting him, leading a close friend to candidly confront him in 2015 at Austin, where the U.S. Grand Prix was taking place.

Ricciardo went on to secure four more wins with Red Bull before leaving the team in 2018, returning to the fold in 2023. But the fairytale comeback at Red Bull Racing didn’t materialize, with Ricciardo being sidelined by the RB F1 junior team after the Singapore Grand Prix.

The door remains slightly open for Ricciardo to stay within the Red Bull Racing pool, but the decision is his to make.

Asked about his first setback at Red Bull, Ricciardo responded: “In 2015. It was actually in Austin.”

“So yeah, it was probably when I started making a name for myself in the sport and winning a few races. I was in my twenties, and you start to think you’re… I don’t want to go as far as saying you think you’re invincible, but you feel like, ‘Well, I’m really on top right now. I’m THE driver.'”

“And yeah, I remember I was probably a bit weird, in terms of overconfidence and maybe a little arrogant, perhaps.”

“And someone close to me at the time, a friend, put me in my place. Literally. I remember they said, ‘I’ve noticed a change in you these last few weeks, and I don’t like it, and I just want you to be aware of it because I don’t think it’s the real you. So make sure it doesn’t take over and start affecting the people around you.'”

“That really hit me. As a close friend, they wanted to be honest and tell me what they were seeing before walking away.”

“It was pretty heavy. Because sometimes, you just keep living, and you don’t realize if your head’s down and you’re only looking ahead.”

“I respect… They’re still a close friend, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I just need to stay grounded a bit.'”