“He’s Just Thrown Away Five Years of His Life”: Will Buxton Once Berated Daniel Ricciardo for ‘Wasting’ a Golden Opportunity

Daniel Ricciardo sensationally took over the F1 realm with a comeback to driving midway into the 2023 season. While many celebrated the Australian driver’s homecoming, some expressed concerns over the move. F1 Journalist and expert Will Buxton stands as the latter. Appearing as a guest in a podcast hosted by the YouTube channel ‘Pitstop,’ Buxton claimed Ricciardo wasted five years of his life just to earn a seat in a Red Bull subsidiary team.

“Well, he’s just thrown away five years of his life. By doing two years at Renault, two years at McLaren, one year at the sidelines, when he could’ve just stayed there originally.”

An assortment of theories surfaced when Ricciardo decided to step away from Red Bull in 2019. The most famous of them was that Ricciardo was unable to keep up with the prowess of Max Verstappen. However, the Australian denied all such claims and mentioned he moved teams since he needed a change.

Sadly for him, Ricciardo’s departure coincided perfectly with the rise of Red Bull in F1. In the third season after his departure, Verstappen won the drivers’ championship, while Red Bull became constructors’ champions just a year later.

Having missed out on a golden opportunity, Ricciardo wouldn’t want to repeat his mistakes. Showcasing impressive performances with (formerly) AlphaTauri, he has a chance to earn a shot at redemption with Red Bull. However, the terms will be different than last time around. A lot will be at stake, given the Austrian team is currently the most dominant force on the grid.

Daniel Ricciardo walking a tough path with success not guaranteed in the end

With Sergio Perez continuously struggling in Red Bull in 2023, eyes turned to Ricciardo as a potential replacement. His performances helped AlphaTauri have a strong end to the season, and they narrowly jumped Williams to finish P7 in the standings.

Ricciardo’s contribution has been noted, but he certainly won’t be the main man at Red Bull if he joins. Max Verstappen, reigning three-time word champion is the main man of F1, let alone his team. Becoming his teammate would mean performing well in his shadows, and that is something Ricciardo has to be okay with.

Even if he agrees to it, there is no guarantee of Red Bull giving him the go-ahead. Amid a wide array of young stars lining up for the job, chances are the Milton Keynes-based outfit would want to invest in their future.

At 34, Ricciardo lacks the luxury of time on his side. He needs to make sure he performs at his absolute best in every race in 2024 to grab a Red Bull seat in 2025. In many ways, the upcoming season might very well be the most crucial one in Ricciardo’s career in F1.

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• Daniel Ricciardo
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