It had become the most open secret in Formula 1 during last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix. After achieving the fastest lap during Sunday’s race, Daniel Ricciardo gave several emotional interviews suggesting he knew his fate. It was to be, most likely, his final race in F1. Just four days later, the inevitable was confirmed. Ricciardo was out, Liam Lawson in.

Speculation surrounding Ricciardo’s future at RB had been cropping up on occasion during the season, perhaps overshadowed by the numerous other incomings and outgoings in the sport, but had grown louder in recent weeks. RB is a good place for young drivers to prove themselves in F1 before potentially taking a spot at one of the bigger teams, or even Red Bull themselves. So for Ricciardo to be in his second spell at Red Bull’s sister team, questions would always be asked about the direction his career was going in.

Sergio Perez’s indifferent form this year had potentially opened the door for one of Ricciardo or teammate Yuki Tsunoda to step up, with both hoping to prove themselves during the first part of the season. Perez, for this season at least, managed to fight for his place, however, Ricciardo has largely been overshadowed by Tsunoda in the majority of races, resulting in a new contract for the Japanese driver and now, no drive for the Aussie.

Liam Lawson tasted his first experience in Formula 1 last season, stepping in for five races after Ricciardo broke his hand during a Friday practice session. An impressive showing at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix saw Lawson score two points and finish in ninth place. The New Zealand driver has been part of Red Bull’s set up since 2019, becoming a test driver for both main and sister teams in recent years. It was widely understood that the 22 year old would soon get the drive at RB, most likely in 2025, however, he now has the remaining six races of the 2024 season to showcase his talent, something Franco Colapinto has taken and ran with at Williams.

For Ricciardo, spells at HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren, AlphaTauri and RB heralded eight wins, 32 podiums and 1329 points, impressive in an era largely dominated by a handful of drivers. Social media reaction has shown widespread sadness to the news of the 35-year-old’s departure from the sport, with his personality and positivity (demonstrated on Netflix’s Drive to Survive) clearly resonating with fans and fellow drivers.

Ricciardo’s final win came in 2021 for McLaren at the Italian Grand Prix during a period when the McLaren car wasn’t the beast it currently is today. Another career highlight win came at the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix for Red Bull, holding off the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel and finishing the day with a memorable swan dive celebration into the Red Bull yacht’s pool. Despite third place finishes in the driver’s standings in 2014 and 2016, championship battles largely eluded him. Nevertheless, his presence in the sport is undoubtedly a contributing factor to the growth of Formula 1 on a global scale.

So what next for Ricciardo? Having secured one of the Triple Crown at Monaco, could he look to complete the set at Le Mans and the Indy500 in the future? Commercially, having the Aussie as part of your team’s set up is a no brainer and, quite clearly, he has the racing ability. While the door may have closed for Ricciardo on Formula 1, greater things could be yet to come.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Red Bull
videos: Sky Sports F1 & Red Bull