Why is Daniel Ricciardo called "the Honey Badger"? Origins of the Australian F1 superstar's nickname explored
F1 drivers such as Alain Prost's "Professor" and Kimi Raikkonen's "IceMan" have some of the most commonly known nicknames in the sport. However, Daniel Ricciardo's nickname "Honey Badger" is one of the most popular and accurate in modern F1.
The Aussie driver is known for his fun and relaxed persona off the track, but while racing on the track, he is ruthless and bold when making his daring late-braking overtakes. Ricciardo's quality resembles that of honey badgers, who are known to be one of the most dangerous mammals in the animal kingdom.
They are known to be unafraid and ferocious when hunting for their prey despite their fluffy exterior. Honey badgers are usually found on the African continent, with some even present on the Indian subcontinent.
Speaking to F1 Racing Magazine, Daniel Ricciardo explained:
"It was my trainer at the time, Stuart Smith. He’d shown me a documentary on it, and said: ’Dude this animal's great!' I thought it was awesome. Then he added that he thought I had a lot of honey-badger qualities. And I thought, ‘Yeah, I think I do!' So it started from there. I think I’ve done well to keep it going.”
While appearing on Nico Rosberg's Beyond Victory podcast, Ricciardo accepted that he does mold himself into a honey badger persona while racing in F1, adding:
“When I adopted the Honey Badger, I made that pact to myself that I would rather try and fail to try and potentially crash than not try at all.”
"Everybody is wanting to speak with Danny after a year off" - Haas Team Principal on Daniel Ricciardo
Haas team boss Guenther Steiner mentioned that every team will be interested in getting Daniel Ricciardo on board for the 2024 season and they are no different.
Speaking to the media, including GPFans, Steiner said:
"It's a little bit early to speak about a driver change already for next year. So let's see how we are doing with these drivers and, for sure, at some point maybe I speak with him but I cannot promise anything because if our two guys do a good job."
"But for sure, everybody is wanting to speak with Danny after a year off, maybe he knows again what he wants to do and he will be interesting for everybody in Formula 1."
It will be fascinating to see where Daniel Ricciardo ends up if returns to the grid in the 2024 season.