He’s been one of Australia’s biggest global sports stars since he hit the big time in 2011 – and as you can see from his childhood photos, that signature grin has been a habit of his since he was a kid.
Vibrant and full of energy, the sportsman has built a career by promoting himself almost as much as by his sporting prowess.
He is a prankster who likes to laugh and has gotten on the nerves of some of his sporting contemporaries over the years – and when he was young he tormented his poor teachers and parents.
“The teachers said I had ants in my pants. Like I couldn’t sit still. I was always nervous,” he said.
“A bit like high energy and definitely sassy.”
Showing his big smile for the camera at a young age, this young man hasn’t stopped since, building a huge career in both his chosen sport and the media
Butter didn’t melt in his mouth when he slept, but when he was awake, this sports star was a vivacious and sassy young fellow – and not much has really changed
The signature afro would appear very early on and become a staple of this Australian sports star for years to come
Still not guessed? It is none other than F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.
His father was a racing driver and as the photos show, the former McLaren star developed a need for speed at a very young age.
“Two, three years old, like I have vague memories of being on the track, putting the earmuffs on and that was like the first kind of attraction where I was a little scared of the noise,” he said.
“But I also loved it because I knew that represented the speed and there was excitement that came with that.”
While Ricciardo is currently bidding his time between races having joined Red Bull as a reserve driver last year following his split from the British team last year, he used to be eager to get into the hot seat.
“I remember the first time I rode a go-kart, I didn’t meet the height requirement,” he said.
“It felt like an eternity until I grew enough to get into it myself.
“And I remember just sitting on the little straight and all I think about is freedom.”
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree: Ricciardo learns from his father (pictured together) on the track at a very young age
The immensely gifted young man showed great promise on the track from a very young age, paving the way for a huge career
Ricciardo was born in Perth, Western Australia on July 1, 1989.
His parents were Italian-Australians with his father, Giuseppe ‘Joe’ Ricciardo, being from Ficarra [Messina] and his mother, Grace, born in Australia with her parents originally from Casignana [Calabria].
The Monaco Grand Prix winner grew up in Duncraig, one of Perth’s northern suburbs, where he attended Newman College.
He was raised a Catholic and was introduced to motor racing early on through his father’s races at the nearby Barbagallo Raceway in Wanneroo.
Ricciardo shows off his trademark grin next to his go-kart as a young lad just starting to make his way in the sport
That grin has become iconic around the world, with Ricciardo back at Red Bull and hoping to take a starting position again next year
At the age of nine, Ricciardo started his racing journey in karts at the Tiger Kart Club. He quickly reached national and international karting levels before moving on to single-seat racing cars and finally making it to Formula One.
In 2005 he competed in the Western Australian Formula Ford Championship with a 15-year-old Van Diemen and finished eighth overall.
Towards the end of the season, Ricciardo traveled to Melbourne’s Sandown Raceway to compete in the national Formula Ford series driving a hired 13-year-old Van Diemen.
Unfortunately his car was uncompetitive and he finished 16th, 17th and retired during the weekend’s three races.
In 2007, after finishing sixth in Formula Renault 2.0 Italia, Ricciardo was selected by the Red Bull Junior Team to continue his racing career – and the rest is history.