„You look like you do this since forever."
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Daniel Ricciardo is 35 years old and his life change in few seconds. It was his best drive since he left Red Bull but it end up with accident and now he had to left Formula one world.
His parents...
"He never showed how he really felt because he hid everything behind his smile."
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"What was he like before the accident?" Alira asked Michelle. It was eight in the evening, and the brunette had decided to visit Daniel's sister, her friend, to ask about her brother. It wasn't that she had been thinking about Daniel all day or anything, but the guy had stuck in her head, and it seemed he wouldn't leave until she learned a bit more about him.
All she knew about him was that he was a Formula One driver who got injured and really didn't want to end up working at the zoo like the rest of his family. She felt a bit sorry that he had such a strong aversion to animals and zoo work, but everyone is different. He grew up around it, so it made some sense that maybe one of the kids would rebel. In this family, it was Daniel who, as a kid, found joy in go-karting and decided he wanted to be a professional race car driver. The older he got, the more detailed his dream became, and it eventually turned into a goal of being a professional Formula One driver.
His dream came true, which Alira was happy about. Her own dream also came true when she was accepted into the Perth Zoo as a zookeeper, allowing her to care for animals just as she always wanted. She found a new family at the zoo, just as Daniel found lifelong friends during his years in Formula One—not everyone around him, of course, but he definitely made a few close friends.
"Daniel?" Michelle asked while petting the white wolfdog that Alira had brought with her. She had been on a walk when she decided to drop by Michelle's place to ask her questions. She didn't want to seem like those typical busybodies who need to know everything about everyone, but she was genuinely interested in this curly-haired brunette. And if she was going to work with him, she wanted to know a few things about him. Daniel didn't seem like he was going to tell her himself.
"Yes, Daniel," Alira nodded. She took a sip from her glass of fresh lemon lemonade that Michelle's husband, Harry, had made for her. Harry decided to give the women some privacy and stayed inside with their son, Robin, to keep him occupied.
"What was he like before the accident?" Michelle repeated the question and pondered. The dog laid its head on her lap, wanting her to continue petting, which she did.
"He was always smiling," Michelle finally said. "He never showed how he really felt because he hid everything behind his smile. He was also very hardworking and dedicated. He constantly wanted to improve because he saw others winning world championships, and he wanted to do that too. He never won, but he was definitely among the best on the grid at one point. He also tried to make others laugh, earning him all those nicknames about being the happiest driver in Formula One history."
"He's not so cheerful now," Alira whispered, but Michelle heard her.
"The accident with Hamilton took a part of him away," Michelle said. "Formula One was his entire life; he never wanted to do anything else. He dedicated his whole childhood to it, so I understand how he is now. Imagine dedicating your entire life to something, ignoring friends, moving far from family at a young age just to do the sport that's your life, and then one accident changes everything. Suddenly, you can never do it again."
