David Coulthard points to "baggage" for Daniel Ricciardo's post-Red Bull struggles

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has revealed what he thinks was the cause of eight-time grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo’s drop-off in performance. 

The Australian driver entered his first F1 race in 2011 at Silverstone and over his 14-year career in the championship, he raced for HRT, Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls), Red Bull, Renault, and McLaren. 

After impressing when he replaced Narain Karthikeyan at HRT for the remainder of the 2011 season, Ricciardo secured a seat at Toro Rosso for 2012 before he moved up to replace Mark Webber at Red Bull in 2014. But it was his move to Renault in 2019 which saw his performance take a hit.

“You see some drivers who evolve well. You see others who get affected by the success, and that affects their trajectory. I think Daniel Ricciardo would be an example of that,” Coulthard explained during an appearance on the High Performance podcast.

Following his stint at Renault, Ricciardo moved to McLaren, where he drove alongside Lando Norris. His time with the Woking outfit came to a disappointing end following the 2022 season. After losing his seat, he signed with Red Bull as a reserve driver for 2023 and ultimately returned to a full-time seat with the sister team AlphaTauri/Racing Bulls midway through the same year.

“One of the bright young talents that arrived in Formula 1, one of the best overtakers of his generation, always exciting to watch. And then just suddenly, as he left Red Bull, Renault was OK, McLaren, Lando outperformed him in both years, even though Daniel won a race,” Coulthard continued.

“And then it never really worked out again at AlphaTauri. Now he’s happily retired, I assume wealthy individual. But it all felt like it was condensed into too short a period.”

David Coulthard

Photo by: Getty Images

When asked what might have caused the change in the Australian driver’s career trajectory, Coulthard explained that “you gain baggage as you go through life.”

“If you’re poor, that’s a Tesco bag with a few clothes inside. If you’re rich, it’s a Louis Vuitton, but it all has to be carried,” he added.

“So, whether it’s a baggage of wealth or whether it’s baggage of success, or whether it’s the baggage of poverty and difficulty, it’s got to be carried to try and get to the next opportunity. And for some people, maybe they’re not able to let go and actually take themselves back to the moment that was the freest point, that saw their performances at the highest level.”

Ricciardo stepped away from F1 in 2024.