Daniel Ricciardo leaves F1 with a legacy of brilliance at Red Bull ...

Very rarely does the storybook ending happen for an athlete in professional sport — and that luxury wasn't afforded to Daniel Ricciardo.

The Honey Badger's second stint in Formula 1 ends without fanfare, shafted with six races left in the season and his career in F1 all but over.

Ricciardo knows all too well the cut-throat nature of Formula 1.

His debut in 2010, and return in 2023, came in the middle of those seasons at the expense of someone else's career.

Now, it is Ricciardo's career that flames out following multiple seasons of struggle and disappointment.

But while his career in F1 ends earlier than he wanted, the conclusion should not overshadow the brilliance he displayed for so many years.

Ricciardo has made F1 better and his career should be remembered for that.

Keeping Mercedes honest during their era of dominance

Luck and timing are often a pre-requisite for success in this sport and Ricciardo was often left without.

He was touted as a future star for Red Bull Racing and after three and a half years in F1, he was promoted to the main team for the 2014 season.

As Lewis Hamilton (centre) and Nico Rosberg (right) led Mercedes at the beginning of their domination, Daniel Ricciardo was always nearby to ensure they had competition. (Reuters: Pablo Sanchez)

He joined a team that had won the previous four drivers' and constructors' world championships.

This promotion should have given him the chance to fulfil his clear potential as a world championship challenger.

Unfortunately for Ricciardo, 2014 was the beginning of Mercedes's dominance in F1, winning the next seven drivers' championships and eight constructors' titles.

Unless you were in a Mercedes from 2014-2021, your chances of winning regularly were slim.

Ricciardo's five-year stint with Red Bull was the team's least successful period since they won their first grand prix in 2009.

But despite the gulf between Mercedes and the rest of the field, Ricciardo kept Mercedes honest for all of those years.

From 2014 to 2018, he won seven grands prix and was at times the only driver who truly challenged the Mercedes juggernaut.

Three of those wins came in 2014, when Ricciardo was the only non-Mercedes driver to win a race.

Taking three wins off the 2014 Mercedes team would have been enough of an accomplishment.

But Ricciardo also outperformed his four-time world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel. 

He finished third in the drivers' championship in 2014 and 2016 and produced some of the finest overtakes of the modern era.

Ricciardo's final year with Red Bull was challenging. 

A faulty Renault-supplied engine meant Red Bull decided to team up with Honda for the 2019 season. 

That was a massive gamble, with Honda's re-introduction to F1 with McLaren being an unmitigated failure. 

The writing was on the wall for Ricciardo as the team leader as well, with Red Bull grooming then-21-year-old Max Verstappen for its future. 

Ricciardo wanted more and he wanted to prove he could succeed outside of the Red Bull family — which he had been a part of since he was a teen.

Working magic with Renault

Ricciardo's move to Renault in 2019 was a shock. 

The Australian was leaving a team who had major problems with Renault engines, to drive for the works French team. 

What must not be forgotten is that Red Bull was about to enter the unknown in 2019. 

Daniel Ricciardo was outstanding for Renault, securing two podiums for a team that was often battling in the midfield.  (Pool via Reuters: Miguel Medina)

The Honda engine, as we now know, was the catalyst to Red Bull ending Mercedes's stranglehold on the F1 world. 

But heading into 2019 there were major question marks about Honda's ability to provide any team with a world championship-calibre engine.

Renault also offered Ricciardo big money — some suggesting it was upwards of $60 million a season. 

The French team also appeared to be on the up in the latter part of the 2010s. 

With Ricciardo at the wheel, Renault performed much better than its car probably deserved. 

There were teething problems at the start of 2019, but by the end of the season, Ricciardo was regularly scoring points. 

It was the 2020 season where Ricciardo not only showed how good he was, but it may be his best season in F1. 

He wrestled that Renault to a pair of podiums and fifth in the drivers' standings. He belted his teammate Esteban Ocon who finished 12th.

However, the team dropped from fourth to fifth in the constructors' championship that season — and they would have been a distant fifth or much lower if it wasn't for Ricciardo.

Renault, who looked like a team on the up, was on the verge of falling off a cliff, which is now seen with the struggles of Alpine (same team, new name).

Ricciardo's brilliance in 2020 may have papered over cracks forming at Renault.

Returning McLaren to the top step

Ricciardo's career will be remembered for his wins and overtakes, but he was also a victim of joining the right team at the wrong time. 

His move to Red Bull came when the team was in a form slump — although it was always a top team.

The McLaren move came two years too early. 

Ricciardo's move from Renault to McLaren shocked many. 

At the time Renault appeared to be in a better position to break into the upper echelon of F1. 

Ricciardo, rightfully, saw McLaren was the team best placed to make the leap. Unfortunately for him, McLaren was not quite ready to make the leap.

His time at McLaren at times was frustrating. 

He was regularly outperformed by Lando Norris, who was morphing into the race-winning driver fans enjoy watching today. 

However, that is not to say Ricciardo didn't make his own. 

When the Australian joined the team in 2021, a McLaren driver had not won a race in nine years. In that time the team had been to the bottom of F1 and became a shell of its glory years. 

But there were signs McLaren was inching its way up the grid, and it was Ricciardo who finally gave the team the win it so desperately needed.

The Australian was given one chance to win at McLaren and he took it at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

He was quick all weekend and got the jump on Norris at the start. He was in a great battle for third, then Verstappen and Hamilton came together and were both out of the race.

Under pressure from his younger teammate wanting his first win, Ricciardo was cool, calm and collected. 

That weekend was the best of Daniel Ricciardo. Fast, smooth and flawless. It was everything McLaren wanted, but never had enough of. 

The team let him go at the end of the 2022 season with a year remaining on his contract, favouring rising star Oscar Piastri, who has proven to be one of the fastest drivers in the world.

But the confidence the team gained from Ricciardo's day of excellence cannot be measured. It was the first sign of a new dawn for the famed-British team, and it took Ricciardo to make that happen.

Drive to Survive needed Ricciardo to stay alive

Arguably, F1 has never been more popular. 

It has 24 race weekends this year on five continents, and finally appears to have cracked the US market with three grands prix in the land of the free. 

A major contributor to F1's popularity boon was Netflix's doco-series, Drive to Survive. 

The program brought in a swath of new fans to the sport, giving audiences a glimpse into the chaotic and drama-filled world from the perspective of the teams fighting for wins, and those literally trying to survive. 

But would that show be the same if it did not have Ricciardo? No. Arguably, it would have failed. 

That is the opinion of the series producer Paul Martin, who told the Australian Financial Review in February, 2023, that the success of the show, which then led to a massive increase in F1's popularity, can be squarely put on Ricciardo's shoulders. 

"Without Danny, there wouldn't be a show. He was the first person who really bought into the idea of it," Martin said.

"He understood what it was, what was needed … if we hadn't had Danny and Christian [Horner, Red Bull team principal], I'm not sure we would have even got to the end of that first year."

It is this which makes Ricciardo a true great of the sport. 

His impact on F1 cannot be measured in statistics alone. 

He was comfortably one of the most popular drivers on the grid before the program, thanks to his enthusiastic nature, fan-friendly demeanour and brilliant race-craft on track. 

But Ricciardo behind the scenes drew new fans in by the millions — an immeasurable impact that will almost certainly be felt for generations to come.