Daniel Ricciardo bids farewell to F1 after being axed from Red Bull-owned team
Daniel Ricciardo, one of Formula 1's most popular drivers, has left the Red Bull-owned RB team with immediate effect and will be replaced by Liam Lawson.
Ricciardo, 35, was aware his appearance at the Singapore Grand Prix was likely his last race.
The Australian driver sat in the car for an unusually long time after the race, before making his way through the paddock to a rapturous applause from his supporters.
Ricciardo acknowledged Sunday he was likely bowing out, saying he had hoped to use his time at the Red Bull-owned VCARB team to make a case for returning to the main Red Bull team, but that he didn’t get the “fairytale ending” he wanted.
“Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us,” RB team principal Laurent Mekies said.
“He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit."
Lawson has been a Red Bull reserve driver since 2022, making his Grand Prix debut in Zandvoort last year when Ricciardo was injured.
His five-race drive saw him score points for Red Bull's sister team and he finished ninth at the Singapore Grand Prix.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the team well. He drove for us last season, and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it’ll be a natural transition,” Mekies said.
“It’s great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. We’re looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together.”
Ricciardo won eight races over 14 seasons, with his final victory coming at Monza in 2021 when he won driving for McLaren.
He was bought out of his McLaren deal after the 2022 season, and he was hired to return to Red Bull as a team ambassador.
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Ricciardo then took part in seven races in 2023 with Red Bull’s sister team. He was given the seat full-time for 2024, but during 18 races he only finished inside the points three times.
He made a lasting impact on F1 as one of the faces of the sport’s boom in the United States driven by Netflix’s “Drive To Survive” series.
During the first episode, he said: “When I got into F1, everyone knew me as the happy guy and the nice guy, but I do have a killer instinct.
“I do believe I can be world champion and for me it’s like, ‘Why else would I be doing this?’”
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