Daniel Ricciardo Should Turn Nasty for 2015 Formula 1 Season
Aren't nice guys supposed to finish last?
Clearly that message didn't get through to Daniel Ricciardo in 2014, as the Australian, previously regarded as just another driver in just another team in his days with Scuderia Toro Rosso, emerged as one of the stars of Formula One.
In his debut season with Red Bull Racing, the four-time constructors' champions, Ricciardo exceeded all expectations.
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From his first race for the team at Albert Park—where a battling drive to second was cruelly rewarded with disqualification due to fuel-flow issues—to his three beautifully executed grand prix wins in Canada, Hungary and Belgium, the rate of Ricciardo's growth throughout the campaign was extraordinary.
The driver once considered an excellent qualifier but nothing more than a competent racer soon became one of the best racing drivers on the grid. He outsmarted the likes of Fernando Alonso—the two-time champion referring to him as "unbelievable" following their battle at Hockenheim, as reported by Sky Sports' Mike Wise—and Sebastian Vettel on a regular basis.
Ricciardo's seamless jump to the front of the field was such that Vettel—who was beaten by a team-mate for the first time in his F1 career, finishing 71 points behind the Australian in the championship—fled his home of six years to start afresh at Ferrari.
It was arguably the biggest compliment of his breakthrough season and leaves Ricciardo heading into 2015 as Red Bull's team leader and, quite possibly, the best all-round driver on the current grid.
Better than Seb. Better than Fernando. And better than Lewis Hamilton, the newly crowned two-time world champion.
Just as impressive as his on-track exploits was the persona of the self-proclaimed "Honey Badger" off the track, which remained unaltered in spite of his success across 2014.
Ricciardo is the latest member of a new breed of athlete seemingly intent on dispelling one of most absurd myths that continues to lurk in professional sport: the belief that in order to win, a competitor must operate with a snarl on their face.
There is a long-held, widespread, yet misplaced belief in sport that an athlete without an obvious air of ruthlessness somehow lacks the determination to succeed.
We tend to view controversial moments such as the clashes between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1989 and '90, and Michael Schumacher's numerous on-track misdemeanors, as essential parts of a driver's legend rather than wholly unnecessary, appalling instances of gamesmanship.
But like his fellow crusaders—Rafael Nadal, the tennis player, and Lionel Messi, the Barcelona forward, to name just two—Ricciardo is as noble in victory as he is gracious in defeat.
In a sport as elitist and rife with ego as Formula One, a driver—a top-level driver—as affable and approachable as Daniel is a rarity and a hugely valuable asset.
Young, funky and extremely talented, Ricciardo is as typically a Red Bull product as the energy drinks company—the ultimate masters of PR—could ever wish to create, highlighted by his ever-increasing popularity.
Yet for all his appeal, we should hope to see Ricciardo on the rocks at some point in 2015.
The nature and sheer velocity of Vettel's fall from grace last season, above all else, served as a reminder that we learn so much more from defeat than victory.
After a four-year period that brought countless race wins and several world titles, the German's stock took a battering as he endured the first winless campaign of his career in 2014, which—as Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail's Jonathan McEvoy—left Vettel considering his future in the sport.
Heralded as one of the all-time greats of F1 following his nine-race winning streak at the end of 2013, there were plenty of question marks surrounding Vettel's standing among the best drivers on the current grid just 12 months on, an indication of just how damaging 2014 had been for the four-time world champion.
If history was to repeat itself at Red Bull this season, with new boy Daniil Kvyat having the edge over the established star for a consecutive number of races, just how would Ricciardo respond?
Would he rise to the challenge and revel in the thrill of being pushed by a super-quick team-mate? Would he stamp his feet and urge the team to revolve around him as their focal point? Or would he follow in Vettel's footsteps and begin plotting an exit route from Red Bull?
It will be fascinating, too, to observe whether Ricciardo's character evolves with his heightened status on the back of a triumphant 2014.
While success was merely an added bonus for the new kid on the block in 2014, the Australian—having already told BBC Sport's Andrew Benson of his desire to have a "proper" championship battle this time—will now expect victories to come his way.
And should Red Bull, for whatever reason, continue to race in the shadows of the all-conquering Mercedes outfit in 2015, will Ricciardo be the type to galvanise the team, a la Schumacher, and haul them back to the top?
Will he stop going along with the flow, as he did so well in 2014, and become the team's chief driving force? And will he take a leaf out of Alonso's book and never pass up an opportunity to remind everyone how brilliant he is?
As transparent and open as Ricciardo is, there are still a number of aspects of his repertoire that we are yet to witness.
His performances in 2014 proved that he will go far in F1, but it will not be until he encounters difficulties, and comes through the other side unscathed, that we will be able to predict just how far he will go.
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