Daniel Ricciardo is Washed
..it hurts to see because I (KINDA) can relate
The Formula 1 world was left in a solemn agreement recently at the Singapore GP recently. Daniel Ricciardo, one of the recent faces of the sport and a man who smiled practically all the time, looked like he lost his best friend. While his run of form was leaving a bit to be desired over the past couple of seasons, practically everyone figured he would bounce back. Everyone KNEW he would bounce back.
It didn’t happen.
One of the cool things about having this blog thingy is that I get to be open about my varying degrees of fandom across a bunch of things. I’m a wrestling fanatic, a baseball enthusiast, and well, when it came to F1 I was kind of a newbie. I’m in that class of “new casual” fan that Liberty Media tried to reach out to via producing the hit show, “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” on Netflix. I’ve bought racing merch of teams of like, I went to the Miami Grand Prix in 2022 (and all the cash that was required). I used to be embarrassed to say all of this because of a fear of being seen as “not a real fan.” However, I can tell you is the first driver I came across that I instantly noticed was dripping with charisma, was ol’ “Danny Ric,”
He’s the thumbnail guy for gosh sakes.
Though I’ve leaned toward being more George Russell and Lewis Hamilton guys, Ricciardo was my entry-level driver. Much like how every kid either gets into Batman, Superman or Spider-Man first before moving on to other heroes. In his own words:
"I always said I don't want to come back just to be on the grid, I want to try and fight back at the front and get back with Red Bull.
"Obviously it didn't come to fruition so then I also have to ask myself the question 'well, then what else can I achieve and what else us there to really go for?'
"I put my best foot forward, let's say the fairytale ending didn't happen but I also have to look back on what it's been. Thirteen or so years and I'm proud.” - Daniel Ricciardo (Source)
In short, the spirit and mind were willing, but the body was NOT. And while Ricciardo isn’t the first (or last) athlete to have the realization, this one hit particularly hard. You see, Danny had the personality that is lacking through most of the drivers. Yes, everyone wants to win but he had a sense of charm that was infectious. He looked like he was actually having fun out there and was a slice of levity against hearing everyone else’s “whys.” You want that guy to win. This is why we cheered for Rudy in that movie, it’s why losers like me support the Mets. The passion is on the surface. Heart on sleeve.
I feel that.
Some know the “esports shoutcaster” Novanta. The loud, brash color commentator who kind of sounds like me. Not many people know of the esports athlete Novanta: A self-deprecating schlub of an athlete who simply got tired of losing (Who also sounds like me).
I love the game of Rocket League. And during the pandemic years, I leaned into playing competitive Rocket League in skill-based organizations for fun. So no, I wasn’t a pro esports athlete in the traditional sense, but this was a bit more competitive than “pub football” you’d see at the park on weekends. Sure you wanted to have fun, but you also wanted to at least have the chance of winning. When I played, it was loss after loss. I’d do well in the occasional game here and there though, and there are still some moments in my “career” I won’t forget:
But those losses added up. No matter how I switched up my training. No matter how well I did outside of league competition. No matter how many hours of content I watched, I just didn’t have it. After being on one of the worst teams in the lowest leagues, I had to step away. Now, I will say I had a chance at a redo. I joined another team and while I rode the bench, the team I was on made it all the way to the finals, but it just wasn’t the same.
So yeah, me being a middle-aged gamer with slow reflexes is JUST like being an internationally known Formula 1 driver. It’s like the SAME DAMN THING. I mean, it isn’t but when I “retired” from league play people BEGGED me to stay. Not because they saw potential in my play, but rather for the “vibes.” When I heard that, it was time to go.
…I chose sticking in the commentary booth. I wonder which path Danny Ric is going to choose?