The 32-year-old, who hails from Western Australia, has been omnipresent in F1 since 2011 and has amassed 210 Grand Prix starts for teams from HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault and McLaren.
He will be the 15th most experienced driver in Formula One history when he competes in the 2022 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and at the Spanish Grand Prix in May he will become Australia’s most experienced Formula One driver and mark Webber’s tally of Surpass 215 launches.
Ricciardo, who took his eighth Grand Prix win at Monza last year, is currently the fourth most successful Australian in terms of F1 victories behind three-time world champion Jack Brabham (14), 1980 world champion Alan Jones (12) and Webber ( 9).
Ricciardo was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant contributions to motorsport as a competitor and ambassador and to the community”.
The announcement of his appointment recognizes both his sporting achievements and his numerous charitable affiliations, including Motorsport Australia’s grassroots program Ricciardo’s Racers.
PLUS: The humiliating changes Ricciardo made to deliver the goods for McLaren
In an Instagram post, the McLaren driver wrote: “Just happy to fly the flag for Australia. I really appreciate the recognition.
Ricciardo joins Webber, Brabham, Dakar motorcycle ace Toby Price – who received an Order of Australia (OAM) medal this time last year – and Supercars legends Craig Lowndes, Mark Skaife and Peter Brock in the Order of Australia system .
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Alongside Ricciardo on this year’s list were other sports stars such as tennis star Dylan Alcott, appointed to the Office of the Order of Australia (AO) and also named Australian of the Year, basketball player Patty Mills (AM) and footballer Sam Kerr (OAM).
Ricciardo was one of seven people included in the 2022 honor for motorsport-related reasons.
Terence Bracken and Leslie Power received OAMs for “Service to the Motorsport Industry” while Ian Tate was awarded an OAM for “Service to Historic Motorsport”.
Kay De Luca and the late Anthony De Luca were honored with OAMs for “Service to Auto Clubs and to the Community” while another OAM went to Ian Digby for “Service to the Community and to the Automotive Industry”.
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