Daniel Ricciardo says already in 2014 when he joined Red Bull, there was a set image of him as the ‘laughing character’.
Since making his F1 return, Ricciardo has been vocal about his character side. His image of a ‘laughing character’ has been long there and the Australian is aware of that. For long he has spoken of it, but when asked recently, he explained his side.
Ricciardo felt the ‘bully’ in his early days and to prove everyone wrong, he adopted the ‘Honey Badger’ nickname and did his talking on the track. For the smiles he does off-track, the Australian is always feisty on it and takes no prisoners along.
“I think it was really my first year at Red Bull back in 2014,” said Ricciardo. “I was very aware that and I felt it in some drivers, some drivers were probably laughing at me thinking, ‘Oh, what’s Red Bull done here, got this young kid that has curly hair and just smiles and laughs a lot and he might be quick on one lap, but we’re just going to bully him in a race situation’.
“I definitely felt that and maybe I orchestrated some of it in my head as well to kind of give myself a point to prove and I think that’s where I adopted the ‘Honey Badger’ and got most awards that year in terms of like greatest overtake or whatever it was. I really felt like that was a time for me to step up I guess and to be taken a little more seriously.
“Of course, with time things can change and people can kind of forget and I’m sure people don’t think I’m the racer that I was or the overtaker or whatever that was, so of course, there’s a part of me which wants to remind a lot of people. On my helmet, in 2018 I think it was, I had, like for a few races, ‘remind these cats’.
“And I think that was everyone always needs reminding, so I’m always happy to do that. This year will be the 10-year anniversary of the ‘Honey Badger’, so I definitely plan on making some noise again and I think yeah, just being taken seriously. Not that I don’t think I am, but for sure some people question it.
“I think also, there’s some things I’ve done where even for example this year, I’m training myself and I’m waking up on my own clock and kind of pulling myself into the gym and all these things where I just kind of want to prove a point that I can do this and I don’t need someone holding my hand, like this is what I want and it’s not someone else’s wish or demand,” summed up Ricciardo.
When asked to elaborate on the smiling nature and people somewhere taking him for granted irrespective of the results, Ricciardo is not thinking too much about it. No driver enjoys not winning, but the Australian doesn’t want to get that into his head.
After the recent lows, Ricciardo comes from a place of gratitude that he’s got the chance to prove himself again and or be self-confident that he can do it. And in the coming time, he will focus again on delivering as much but he won’t take it to heart if it doesn’t works out.
“I don’t want anything I say to be taken as I’m just happy to be here, and ‘Oh, if he’s smiling, then he’s doing good’,” said Ricciardo. “It’s like getting a good effort sticker when you come eighth in the running race at school – out of eight kids. It’s not about that. It’s not at all like a mentality of just being complacent and content.
“There is an element of me happy to be back, and I think I take that from a place of gratitude and a place of, I just really want to appreciate all of this. Because last year, of course, through some lows, you just don’t enjoy it as much as I should, etc, etc. I’m coming from a place of gratitude, but I’m also coming from a place where I’m going all in, and I will expect results out of myself.
“I will expect me to do things like I did in Mexico last year and turn some heads, and have people saying ‘Oh, he’s still got it’. Because I believe I can. Certainly, I will always put some pressure on myself to deliver, but it’s just probably the approach is a little bit different this time around.
“That’s why I want to approach like I am going all in, lets say with preparation and everything off-track, so that okay if I don’t pull it off, if it doesn’t happen, I can say, ‘all right I tried’, it sounds very nonchalant but yeah like if I can away with like I gave it a crack.
“I really thought I could do it, unfortunately it turns out that I can’t, so be it, life goes on. That’s really the approach, but I don’t believe that would be my answer but it will be okay if it is, I can take it,” summed up Ricciardo.
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