by Issie Jones
My dad has always been a firm fan of Formula One, so it's safe to say the world of racing has always been on my radar. However, my dad has three kids, each with different ideas of what should be shown on the living room’s TV during the weekend, meaning that F1 didn’t get nearly as much screen time as he would have liked when we were younger.
I didn’t fully realise my love of the sport until I was slightly older, when I got a positive Covid test. After being told I was stuck away from my friends and school for 2 weeks, I settled into my bed and began my Netflix doom scroll.
During my scroll, ‘Drive to Survive’ popped up a couple of times; I watched the trailer, and it seemed interesting enough, so I pressed play.
📸 Ricciardo’s move to Renault was one of the first major stories covered by ‘Drive to Survive’.
Immediately I was hooked. I couldn’t understand how my dad hadn’t told me about this side of the sport. When he had managed to wrestle the remote control for the TV off me and my siblings to watch the Grand Prix, I hadn’t quite been able to grasp what the hype was about, as everything had seemed quite earnest and serious. Thankfully, I finally understood it.
This new interest was met with great enthusiasm by my dad, who was glad to have a companion to shout at the TV with on a Sunday afternoon.
The first Grand Prix I watched in full was Daniel Ricciardo’s incredible victory at Monaco in 2018, which he managed to win with only six of his eight gears and twenty-five percent less horsepower than usual (due to an MGU-K failure - an issue with the ‘Motor Generator Unit’). This display of talent, his sense of humour, and his easygoing personality quickly secured him as my favourite driver.
📸 It all worked out for Ricciardo in Monaco in the end.
Admittedly, Danny Ric’s performance in Formula One has been nothing to write home about recently. However, his eight Grand Prix wins and 32 podiums are a clear indication that he is an accomplished and skilled driver.
📸 Race win and a couple podiums aside…Ricciardo’s time post Red Bull has been largely unenthralling.
For me, what truly sparked my love for racing was the realisation that the sport wasn’t as deathly serious as I had perceived it to be when I was little. Watching Daniel Ricciardo celebrate his win by diving into the iconic Monte-Carlo swimming pool made me realise that what makes racing special is its ability to make you feel a rush of loads of emotions all at once.
Although there is now not as much to get excited about as a Daniel Ricciardo fan, I think I will forever have some undying loyalty to him, thanks to the goosebumps he gave me while watching Monaco 2018 and the lifelong passion for Formula One that those goosebumps sparked.
📸 ‘Prime’ Danny Ric was a joy to watch.
📸 Image credits: Formula Motorsport Limited, Sky Sports, McLaren Racing.
Love your enthusiasm for F1 Issie!