Former Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo has opened up about his life after parting ways with the sport last year. The Australian driver was interviewed at Ray White’s Connect 2025 real estate conference on the Gold Coast, where he was invited as a speaker.
Ricciardo has been away from the F1 scene for nearly a year now. His dream was to race alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull, and as a result, he was being assessed alongside Yuki Tsunoda in Red Bull’s junior F1 team, VCARB (now Racing Bulls), last year.
The Australian driver embarked on his premier class career in 2011, replacing Narain Karthikeyan at HRT. He then moved to Red Bull’s junior F1 team in 2012, and two years later, he was racing for Red Bull.
However, a move to Renault in 2018 became a turning point in his career, as he soon parted ways with the French marque to join McLaren, a partnership that faded after two years. Ricciardo received another shot at F1 mid-2023 with VCARB, where he raced for one year alongside his Japanese teammate, Tsunoda, who outperformed him on most race weekends.
VCARB was left with no option but to part ways with him after the Singapore Grand Prix. Following his departure from the team, the 36-year-old driver made it clear that he was “done with F1” and has since been exploring life in the slow lane. When asked at the real estate conference about life after F1, Ricciardo said:
“Well I haven’t been shaving my face. The beard is my comfort right now. This year has been a bit of self-exploration. I lived this crazy high-speed life for so long and this year I’ve sat into a little bit of stillness.
“I’ve had a lot of time, I’ve done some hiking. I was in Alaska a few weeks ago and didn’t get mauled by a grizzly which was a bonus. I’ve been trying to figure out who I am other than this race car driver.
“I’ve come to appreciate the little thing more and the meaning of the importance of family and friends.
“I’ve always been driven and that sometimes leads you to being selfish, so I’m trying to learn to be a bit more selfless and become a better listener.”
Ricciardo also opened up about his childhood and revealed what pushed him to pursue a racing career. He said:
“Childhood was great. I was always driven to do something that scared me a bit. The reason I got into racing was because no one was really doing it. It was my chance to do something a little bit cooler than everyone else. I was just showing off, but showing off has got me to a really good place in life.”
Read the full article here
