Riccardo reveals the 'honey badger's' origins... And reason for F1 downfall too?

The Australian first joined the grid with backmarker HRT in 2011 before stints at Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren and, most recently, Racing Bulls.

Between 2014 and 2018, Ricciardo established himself as one of the sport’s most exciting talents with daring overtakes and fearless racecraft, traits that earned him the ‘honey badger’ tag, precisely.

Speaking at Ray White’s Connect conference, Ricciardo explained how the animal became his alter ego.

“Honey badgers are cuddly and cute, super good-looking,” he laughed.

Since his departure from Racing Bulls after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, and after being linked to a seat at Cadillac early on, Ricciardo has announced his retirement from F1.

Reflecting on his career, he admitted that developing a “killer instinct” never came naturally.

"But the killer instinct I needed to develop and work on extracting it out of myself. I’m naturally more easy-going,” Ricciardo said.

He credited his early trainer, Stu Smith, with teaching him how to summon that mentality when it mattered most.

Yet Ricciardo admitted it wasn’t sustainable. “I would use too much energy trying to be tough all the time because it’s not natural for me.