In his first season in a competitive car, the kid who never stops smiling has so far won two Formula One races.
The latest coming overnight when Ricciardo passed two world champions in the final three laps to take the chequered flag at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Not since Pat Rafter has Australia had such a likeable sports star on the world stage, and with the 25-year-old now the main contender at Red Bull, he's being touted as a future world champion.
So which current Australian sports star is most recognisable from an international perspective?
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The contenders
1. Adam Scott
The South Aussie is golf's current world No.1 and is still basking in the glory of his 2013 Masters triumph.
With golf one of the world's most familiar sports, Scott is Australia richest sports star and the mostly widely recognised.
2. Tim Cahill
One of the best paid footballers in America's Major League Soccer. Cahill signed with the New York Red Bulls in 2012.
But World Cups are where Cahill does his best work.
His wonder strike against the Netherlands was the unofficial goal of Brazil 2014 and made headlines across the globe.
3. Patty Mills
Mills became the first indigenous Australian to win an NBA title when he helped lift the San Antonio Spurs to a series win against the Miami Heat last month, including a 17-point haul in the championship game.
The boy from Canberra has just signed the biggest contract of his career, worth $12 million, to play the next three seasons in San Antonio.
4. Daniel Ricciardo
The Perth pilot is the only non-Mercedes driver to have won a race in 2014, having already won his maiden grand prix in Canada.
While F1 doesn't draw its biggest following from Australia, the flagship motorsport category dominates in Europe, South America and Asia and some races can draw 600 million television viewers worldwide.
Like Patty Mills, Ricciardo's stature will only grow.
5. Cadel Evans
Even before his 2011 Tour de France triumph, Evans was a big name on the world cycling stage.
In 2009, he joined an elite group of cyclists who have all worn all three leaders jerseys - the Maglia Rosa leaders jersey at the Giro d'Italia in 2002, the Yellow leaders jersey in the Tour de France, and the Gold leaders jersey in the Vuelta a Espana.
Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
But at age 37, it won't be long before Evans hangs up the lycra and rides off into the sunset.
6. Mitchell Johnson / Michael Clarke
Cricket is a major sport in only some pockets of the world, but Clarke and Johnson are household names in India and England.
7. Lleyton Hewitt
The 33-year-old from Adelaide may not be a grand slam contender these days, but Hewitt is ranked No.45 in the world and makes the list due to his longevity.
He started on the ATP tour in 2000 and is currently 13th in the all-time tennis earnings list, with Wimbledon (2002) and US Open (2001) titles to his name.