The significance of Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career highlights the importance of team mate contests in Formula 1.
In 2014, Ricciardo surpassed expectations by outperforming Sebastian Vettel, who had just secured his fourth consecutive world championship.
Despite recent struggles, it’s important to remember why Ricciardo was highly regarded in his early years. Just imagine the impact if Max Verstappen wins another championship this year but then gets beaten by his team mate in 2025.
Verstappen was the first to challenge Ricciardo as a team mate. After three years together, Ricciardo decided to leave Red Bull.
Although he left behind a championship-winning car, it’s uncertain how much of Red Bull’s subsequent success he would have shared with Verstappen’s dominance.
After spending two seasons at Renault, where he outperformed his team mates, Ricciardo faced a tough challenge at McLaren against Lando Norris. Despite early struggles, McLaren terminated his contract early, signaling the potential end of his F1 career.
Red Bull extended a lifeline to him last year by placing him at AlphaTauri, but his comeback was cut short by a crash that caused a wrist injury.
Returning full-time at the end of the year, Ricciardo struggled against his new team mate Yuki Tsunoda, failing to prove himself worthy of a return to the top team.
2011: HRT
Team mate: Vitantonio Liuzzi*
Points were out of the question during Ricciardo’s mid-season debut with the struggling HRT team. However, he showed promise against his fellow Red Bull protege Vitantonio Liuzzi.
*Narain Karthikeyan was also Ricciardo’s team mate for one race
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2012: Toro Rosso
Team mate: Jean-Eric Vergne
Moving to Toro Rosso in his first full F1 season, Ricciardo competed against Jean-Eric Vergne, who lacked racing experience prior to that year.
2013: Toro Rosso
Team mate: Jean-Eric Vergne
While Vergne scored more points, Ricciardo consistently demonstrated better one-lap pace in their first season together.
Following Mark Webber’s retirement, Ricciardo was chosen to replace him at the top Red Bull team.
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2014: Red Bull
Team mate: Sebastian Vettel
Ricciardo’s debut with Red Bull was tainted by a disqualification in his home race. Nonetheless, he went on to win races when Mercedes stumbled, leading to Vettel’s departure to Ferrari at the end of the season.
2015: Red Bull
Team mate: Daniil Kvyat
Despite having the upper hand over his team mate, Ricciardo and Kvyat struggled with Renault power units, failing to secure any race wins in 2015.
Kvyat narrowly outscored Ricciardo, who was plagued by unreliability. Kvyat’s tendency for incidents eventually led to his demotion back to Toro Rosso.
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2016: Red Bull
Team mate: Max Verstappen*
Following Kvyat’s demotion, Verstappen became Ricciardo’s new team mate. Verstappen impressed by winning on debut, setting the stage for a competitive pairing.
Although Ricciardo initially outperformed Verstappen, the young driver soon asserted his dominance.
*Daniil Kvyat was also Ricciardo’s team mate for four races
2017: Red Bull
Team mate: Max Verstappen
Red Bull struggled with Renault power units in 2017, limiting Ricciardo and Verstappen’s opportunities to shine. Ricciardo managed to outscore Verstappen and secured a memorable victory in Azerbaijan.
However, Verstappen’s consistent pace advantage became evident over the season.
2018: Red Bull
Team mate: Max Verstappen
Ricciardo’s hopes of contending for the championship in 2018 were dashed after a collision with Verstappen in Azerbaijan. This incident prompted him to depart Red Bull.
Although Ricciardo briefly considered a championship challenge with McLaren, it soon became clear that Red Bull favored Verstappen as their ‘alpha driver’.
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2019: Renault
Team mate: Nico Hulkenberg
Upon joining Renault, Ricciardo quickly outperformed Nico Hulkenberg, leading to the latter’s replacement for the next season.
2020: Renault
Team mate: Esteban Ocon
Ricciardo’s decision to leave Renault for McLaren before the 2020 season began was met with disappointment from the team. Despite the move, Ricciardo continued to showcase his talent by outperforming his new team mate Esteban Ocon.
However, this marked the last time Ricciardo held the upper hand over a team mate for a complete season.
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2021: McLaren
Team mate: Lando Norris
Ricciardo’s triumph at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix underscored his departure from Red Bull, but his season was overshadowed by constant outperformance by his young team mate Lando Norris.
Despite a victory that boosted his points, Ricciardo was ultimately outscored by Norris by the end of the season.
2022: McLaren
Team mate: Lando Norris
Prior to the 2022 season, McLaren renewed Norris’ contract, indicating his dominance within the team. Ricciardo hoped for better results with the new McLaren chassis but was further defeated by Norris, leading to his premature contract termination.
2023: AlphaTauri
Team mate: Yuki Tsunoda
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