Daniel Ricciardo, 16, was sitting in a corner, unnoticed, striking up a conversation with Italian driver Jarno Trulli and former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins.
Having won the Australian go-karting championship the previous year, the Perth youngster had gained entry to the race, and on that April day, his entire world changed.
Meeting Hawkins was the catalyst, according to family friend and later tutor Remo Luciani, who quips, “He was practically drooling.”
However, when you were mingling with Formula 1 celebrities and taking in the thunderous boom of it.
Luciani tells the reporters, “I think he saw the picture and thought, ‘This is where I belong, this is what I want to do.'”
After a few years, he had not only integrated into that world but also emerged as “a main character.”
But after 13 years in the sport – with a remarkable 257 races, 32 podiums, and eight wins – his F1 career came to an end last week, after Red Bull withdrew him from its squad.
He ends his career as the golden boy of Australian motorsport and one of the most prosperous and well-liked drivers on the circuit.
