“Was it enough?”
A crackle of radio after the fastest lap in Singapore hangs in the air like a death pronouncement. One final moment in the cockpit, and it’s done. 13 years given, everything left out on the track.
“Was it enough?”
One single lap to end it all. The fastest, for one final dance.
One point taken away, from the team that took everything from him.
It’s quiet. The man who is larger than life, the brilliance of Formula One, the last of the late breakers sits in the cockpit and savours the moment for the last time.
A career that has been filled with laughter, champagne and the roar of engines ends quietly under the Marina Bay lights. Not a sound from the team that claimed to be family, not a word from the man who told him to come home only to toss him out two years later. Red Bull’s prodigal son returned home, and realized that home had changed.
Is it fair? The man who gives everything, broken bones and skin stretched over teeth too widely, has been thrown out for someone shiny and young. Not once, but twice. Kept smiling through it all, and maybe hoped that one day, it will hurt a little less.
A kid from Perth burst into the paddock with all his crooked teeth and curly hair, and instantly charmed the world with his smile. The cutthroat world of Formula One is not prepared for someone to be so kind, so genuine, so positive. He smiles, and the whole world is entranced. The personality that changes everything and the inherent goodness that runs so deep is captivating, and everyone wants more. “I’m Daniel Ricciardo, and I’m a car mechanic.” The world of motorsports stops and stares.
257 races. 8 wins. 32 podiums. It’s a career than most would dream of. Many have come, many have gone. None have changed the trajectory of this old money, uptight sport like he has. An infectious laugh that rang through the paddock week after week chipped away at the rigidity of sports media. Many racers are extraordinary, but not like this. To be known is to be loved, and there is none more beloved than Daniel Ricciardo.
“Was it enough?”
The silence rings out under the track floodlights.
Yes, the world answers. It was enough. It was everything.
Thank you, Daniel.
