Riccardo: For me a racing car is a weapon

In an interview with Maxim, Daniel Ricciardo spoke about his attitude towards cars, teammates and himself in races…

Daniel Ricciardo: “For me a racing car is a weapon. I love him, but any weapon is dangerous. And putting on a helmet is not only a reminder of the dangers that come with it, but also a time to put on earplugs and cut yourself off from the rest of the world. This puts me in fight mode.

The 2014 season, when I moved to Red Bull Racing, was the most difficult season of my career. I had been in Formula 1 for several years and didn’t expect any problems at all. And when they appeared, I was amazed, stunned. I learned a lot about myself that year. Some days I thought, “I’m done with this. I hate racing.” But as the day went on, I trained in the gym even more diligently than before, and the fire inside burned again. Nothing in this life comes easy.

For most of my career I’ve gotten used to being one of the best drivers on the grid, the best on the team. And when things suddenly change, ask yourself, “Dude, what’s going on? You can still do anything.” It was hard to accept.

Max Verstappen has been my longest teammate. We’ve pushed each other for better or worse, be it bitter rivalry or respectful tension, but we made the most of this partnership — and learned a lot.

I really enjoyed the year with Vettel in 2014 when I got to watch the four-time world champion. He knew how to get what he wanted from the team, to convey his point of view, which was sometimes different from the team’s point of view, but he was respected and listened to.

No one said, “This man is complaining again!” or “He tells us how to do our job!” It was always concise, to the point, and ended with the phrase, “Now let’s do it together!” It was the word of the world champion. There was some German individuality, German efficiency, if you will.

After moving to McLaren, it was not easy for me to adapt to their car. Never before had such a thing happened to me. You know, it’s like playing golf with a club that’s too flexible – you’ve already made a swing to hit the ball and it’s still flying. It felt like I couldn’t just steer the car where I wanted and accelerate.

This season is better. You can’t tell from the results of this yet, but I felt more at ease. Although I still try to feel comfortable with the car.

The best moment of my career? Victory in Monaco in 2018. Two years before that, I lost the win due to a slow pit stop, and this factor was out of my control. It happens in racing, but that day it felt like I was being robbed. I wondered if I would ever be able to fight for the win in Monaco again, and when I won I was very proud and happy.

I never thought I’d ever feel happier. But last year, for the first time in my career, I felt moments of self-doubt. And when I overcame them and won the race in Monza in the first year with a new team, which nobody expected then, I was really proud of it.