GREATEST RACE: Daniel Ricciardo on the unexpected battle that earned the respect of a champion


Daniel Ricciardo had high hopes in 2014 when he stepped up to Red Bull and pushed to make his mark alongside four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. In the next chapter of our Greatest Race series, the Australian – whose F1 career now appears to be over after RB’s mid-season driver swap – remembers not one of his breakthrough wins that year, but an exciting wheel-to-wheel scrap with Fernando Alonso that changed the way he thought about the sport going forward…
Ricciardo’s rise to Red Bull
Ricciardo was two-and-a-half seasons into his Grand Prix career – which began with an initial run-out for HRT and a stint at Toro Rosso – when the senior Red Bull team promoted him to replace retired countryman Mark Webber.

Unlock exclusive F1 content and more with F1 Unlocked. Totally free.
Membership gets you closer with:
Curated insider content
Live like an F1 insider with exclusive access and VIP experiences
Member benefits, rewards and offers
Next Up
Related Articles
Lifestyle & CultureHow title-challenger Norris is redefining F1 fashion
Watch the drivers face Grill the Grid’s ‘spot the mistake’ challenge
Wolff backs Bottas in push for full-time F1 return
Stella surprised by level of McLaren's dominance in 2025
How long do the F1 drivers’ current deals last?
Albon believes 2025 is his best season so far in F1