His demeanour at the end of the Singapore GP – not to mention the rumours linking Liam Lawson with his seat – left F1 media in little doubt that the Marina Bay event could be Daniel Ricciardo’s final race.
But if that’s the case, is it fair or is Red Bull making the wrong decision?
Our writers offer their views.
His time in F1 is up – Ben Hunt
Sadly, despite being one for characters in Formula 1, I feel that it is time for Daniel Ricciardo to be demoted from RB in place of Liam Lawson and with immediate effect.
However, I will pick my words carefully, as while it looks as though this could be the end of his F1 career, it might not necessarily be as black and white as this being the end, for Sergio Perez is still in a precarious position.
I remember back to 2012 when I was in my first year covering F1 and it was a flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur and Ricciardo was sitting in economy class a few rows back from my seat. He was the same back then as he is now, a brilliant personality. Great fun. Always smiling.
Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
But I cannot help but think his career took a turn for the worse the moment he decided to quit Red Bull and join Renault for the 2019 season.
It was an altogether baffling decision. Having been burned by Renault, he had further poor form at McLaren and despite that win in Monza in 2021, has never really looked like ever recapturing the same form he had at Red Bull or indeed living up to his massive potential.
The smile has now gone, and with it too the passion and maybe the commitment needed to seriously compete in F1.
He left the series off the back of being let go by McLaren in place of Oscar Piastri, citing that he needed some time on the sidelines to assess his future.
He returned to F1 at the expense of Nyck de Vries but in truth, I never really believed it would spark much success for I am pushed to think of any truly great comeback from someone who once turned their back on F1.
I remember that season he left McLaren in 2022, as he assessed his future he rode into the paddock at the US GP in Austin on the back of a horse. To me, he had fully checked out from F1.
That was on his terms. Now the decision is not his to make.
It makes sense to bring in Lawson – Ewan Gale
If this is Ricciardo’s exit from F1, then the sport will for sure be a poorer place in terms of personality. His effervescent persona has lit up the…
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