Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed having the “chance to be different” as a kid, thanks to his passion for motorsport.
There is very little about the Australian that could be considered conventional with his tremendous charisma and a beaming smile, making him one of Formula 1’s most unique characters.
For the Renault driver, however, breaking the mould is nothing new, having taken a different path from many youngsters growing up in Perth.
“When I was growing up, I was always very active in terms of sports,” Ricciardo explained. “I always chose to be outside instead of playing inside.
“Regarding racing, my father regularly raced when he was younger, so I often stayed on the circuit during weekends to watch his races. I think part of the passion comes from him. I was fascinated by the noise and the speed.
“Other children at school played soccer or rugby. Nobody started racing, so that gave me the chance to be different. I thought it was a good feeling.”
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The path to being a successful racing driver is particularly tough in Australia, given how most of the major series are based in Europe, and Ricciardo can thank Red Bull for allowing him to take it.
If the opportunity hadn’t come, however, the 30-year-old thinks we might have seen his name in a different sporting arena.
“[I would] probably play tennis. I did different sports when I was a kid and tennis was my second favourite sport,” he said.
“I have always loved individual sports because of the greater responsibility that you have, so I would probably have chosen a career in tennis.”