Daniel Ricciardo goes down as one of the most lovable characters in Formula 1 | Daniel Ricciardo

“Wold and wonderful.” This is how Daniel Ricciardo described a journey in Formula 1 that ended on Thursday with the confirmation of his ouster from RB for the remainder of the 2024 season. This was hardly unexpected given that the build-up to last week's race was dominated by the 35-year-old's future and the final attempt to set the fastest lap in Singapore almost seemed like a final bow. The Australian, one of the sport's most vibrant characters, seemed happy with what was to come as he described the lap as “one last attempt to do a fast lap”.

Ricciardo's formulation seems appropriate to me. Thanks in large part to his endearing presence in the Netflix series Drive to Survive, He leaves the sport as one of its most popular figures. – The flood of honors from fans and colleagues is testament to the mark he left on the starting grid, not only as a driver but also as a personality. At a time when Formula 1 is experiencing a surge of new interest in a social media-driven age, his bright smile, entertaining interviews and famous 'Shoey' celebration – as well as his 32 podium appearances – are central Memories of a generation have become new fans.

Ricciardo probably recognized early and astutely the potential benefits that could accrue from F1's push onto Netflix, but the unashamed Australianness he has portrayed on the world stage has carried particular weight in his home country. A willingness to poke fun and not take itself too seriously is a big part of the “larrikin” identity the country likes to present to the world, and here one of its best athletes did so in one of the most opulent and elite surroundings of sport. This is particularly true in his hometown of Perth, which counts him as one of its all-time sporting exports.

A generation of F1 fans will now remember Ricciardo as a character, one of the strongest personalities on the grid. But in a vacuum that would be unfair as it would overshadow the immense promise and brilliance he has shown throughout his career. These performances in his early days in the sport suggested that Australia's first champion since Alan Jones was awaiting his coronation. And funnily enough, the connection point of Ricciardo's career on the track has a certain synchronicity with his appearance on Drive to Survive, as his move from Red Bull to Renault was one of the series' first major storylines.

In the groundbreaking 2014 season – his first with Red Bull after graduating from Toro Rosso to take the place of his compatriot Mark Webber – it was the Australian who struck whenever an otherwise dominant Mercedes team of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg slipped. He topped the podium in Canada, Hungary and Belgium, won the only three races the Mercedes duopoly didn't win that season, and finished third in the championship, beating his teammate and then-reigning four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in cast the shadow. And while Max Verstappen's immense talent would become evident in the coming years following Vettel's move to Ferrari, Ricciardo was seen as the Red Bull driver most in need of a challenge – if he could get his underperforming Renault powertrain under control.

His highlight came in Monaco in 2018 when, after qualifying on pole position, he managed to hold off a chasing group for 50 laps, despite the engine failing and only six of his eight gears working, to take victory at the famous circuit. A brilliant ride was followed by an iconic celebration as he jumped into the Red Bull swimming pool with his arms raised.

But the subsequent move to Renault – despite some notable podium finishes – proved to be an oddity and unfortunate, as did the subsequent move to McLaren. Although his star continued to rise off the track, it seemed he had lost his killer instinct as he struggled to adapt his aggressive late braking style to the McLaren. He took one final victory at Monza in 2021, perhaps a teasing hint of what would have happened if he had never left Red Bull, but the emergence of Lando Norris meant his time with the team ended prematurely. He returned to AlphaTauri/RB in 2023 – first as a reserve and then as a replacement for Nyck de Vries – but a fairytale comeback never materialized; The emergence of Yuki Tsunoda and the arrival of Liam Lawson – his replacement for the rest of this season – meant the writing was on the wall.

Ultimately, Red Bull's unwillingness to provide clarity ahead of Singapore denied Ricciardo the farewell he deserved. But he ended his career because he was an important part of Formula 1 history for a decade; Its lack of any narrative would make it incomplete. This influence took different forms and was implemented in different ways, but it was always truly Ricciardo. And it was really wild and wonderful.