Ricciardo: Trying to figure out who I am other than a race car driver

Ricciardo was shown the door at VCARB to be replaced by Liam Lawson after failing the level of performance Red Bull expected from him when they brought him back in 2023 to replace the struggling Nyck de Vries following that year's British Grand Prix.

Ricciardo spent the earlier part of the 2023 F1 season as a Red Bull Racing reserve driver after being let go by McLaren at the end of the 2022 season after struggling to keep up with Lando Norris.

The Honey Badger has been under the radar ever since his forced retirement from F1, avoiding the spotlight, but has recently emerged to give an update about his post-F1 life.

Speaking to Ray White’s Connect conference, Ricciardo jokingly said: "Well, I haven’t been shaving my face. The beard is my comfort right now."

But then he went on: "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 [bear], 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[s] 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," the driver, who hails from Perth, admitted.

Ricciardo, now 36 years old, reflected on the early stage of his life and how he decided to become a racing driver; he said: "[My] 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," he mused.

Ricciardo's career spanned 14 F1 seasons while driving for several teams, starting with HRT in 2011, then Toro Rosso (which became AlphaTauri, then VCARB, and currently Racing Bulls), then Red Bull Racing, Renault, and McLaren, and finally he returned to AlphaTauri and stayed with them for their first season as VCARB.

After these years, he accumulated 32 podiums, out of which eight were wins, and three pole positions. He now looks back with disbelief at some of the feats he managed to achieve.

He said: "Sometimes I think about things like winning Monaco and think, ‘Did that actually happen?!’.

“I always loved racing, but I never thought I’d have the career I had and make it to F1. You just have to take everything one step at a time. If you look too far ahead, everything looks a bit daunting," Ricciardo concluded.