The story behind Ricciardo’s imperfect farewell to F1

Last week, Daniel Ricciardo received an outpouring of love as his departure from Formula 1 became official, but some were upset over the way his last Grand Prix went.

While Ricciardo was offered the fastest lap as a farewell gift, he was greeted by a guard of honor upon his return to the VCARB hospitality after the race and the personalities of the paddock said goodbye on Sunday evening, some suggested he didn’t get the farewell he deserved.

After all, if the paddock and the rest of the world had known that this was Ricciardo’s final race for VCARB, there would have been more celebrations to mark the occasion. The Australian’s failure to receive such treatment was blamed on Red Bull and VCARB, amid a mistaken belief that they had kept him in the dark about their intentions.

For this theory to hold water, it would be necessary for Ricciardo to have known nothing about the plan to promote Liam Lawson with immediate effect, and for everything that happened in the days following Singapore to have come out of nowhere. But, according to inside sources, the reality of how things developed between Red Bull/VCARB and the eight-GP winner behind the scenes has been very different from how it played out in public.

And like most times in the complicated world of F1, a multitude of factors combined to result in a weekend where, for both team and driver, farewells may not have been those expected.

Lawson’s option

The main reason Singapore was the deciding weekend was an option in Lawson’s contract with Red Bull regarding his future in F1. Several sources indicated that the Austrian firm had until September to commit to a seat in F1 for 2025, failing which he would be released from his obligations.

The New Zealander’s performances as Ricciardo’s replacement for five races last year impressed everyone in the paddock, and Sauber/Audi are known to have taken an interest in him earlier in the season .

However, with Red Bull facing uncertainty over Sergio Pérez’s performance and aware that Max Verstappen’s commitment to the team cannot be guaranteed in the long term, there was great reluctance to let Lawson leave, as he could potentially be someone Red Bull needs in their main team sooner than expected.

While Red Bull/VCARB were certain that Lawson was their future, and the September deadline meant a decision would have to be made after Singapore, the real question was which team he would fit into, and who he would replace. .

The conclusion quickly became clear: even if Pérez did not bring everything we hoped for, it was probably excessive to expect the New Zealander to immediately take on the role of Verstappen’s teammate. This would have propelled him into an environment where the pressure is ultra high, with the risk of it destroying his career very quickly.

Attention therefore turned to Ricciardo’s future at VCARB, with a feeling that the Australian had not reached the heights hoped for when he signed for a return to F1 in mid-2023. Sure, there have been some good moments – particularly that fourth place in the Miami sprint this year – but he and VCARB haven’t found the level of consistency needed to replicate those performances.

It’s also important to remember that Ricciardo made his return to F1 not for what he could do for VCARB, but rather to audition for another move to Red Bull if Pérez wasn’t up to the task. . And while the Mexican is having a disappointing campaign, the Australian’s up-and-down performances meant he never really became an obvious candidate to take over and ensure he would do a better job.

Therefore, once Ricciardo was no longer a candidate for Red Bull, he lost any chance of convincing VCARB to extend his contract beyond the end of the year. From Helmut Marko’s point of view, if he wasn’t going to be part of the family in 2025, it didn’t make much sense to keep him there until the end of the season, especially since the team needs answers about Lawson in case the Pérez situation continues to be a source of frustration.

While Red Bull team boss and long-time ally Christian Horner did everything he could to delay the inevitable and give Ricciardo every possible chance to try and prove his worth, he ended up agreeing that it was best for Lawson to take his place for the US GP.

This decision was made several weeks ago, and it is understood that Ricciardo was briefed on the outline of the plan during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, giving him time to prepare ahead of the GP of Singapore. This news was not made public, however, with Red Bull not wanting to release information on Ricciardo’s replacement and instead wanting to let the Australian decide how to handle things.

Other factors also came into play, as Marko explained about why things weren’t announced by the team until the weekend – although, in his own words, Ricciardo had been “informed”. “[Tout cela est] linked to a series of factors and obligations. Sponsors must also be taken into account. He said very well that he was at peace with himself, that he had accepted the situation.”

Ricciardo’s last chance

What is not certain is whether Ricciardo knew before Singapore that he was permanently ruled out or that he probably would be. Even when he spoke to the media on Thursday in Singapore, the eight-time Grand Prix winner gave only cryptic answers about his future, suggesting things were not set in stone.

Asked if, contractually, there was a scenario in which Singapore could be his last race, Ricciardo replied: “I don’t think so, but I also don’t want to stand here and advocate. Look, I would say no. But we also know how this sport works […] So I don’t want to say that I’m willing to bet my house on it. I am [dans ce milieu] for too long [pour le faire].”

Inside sources, however, revealed that a discussion with the Ricciardo camp took place before the Singapore weekend to suggest that, as VCARB’s promotion of Lawson was clear, there could be some form of announcement joint official between Red Bull and Ricciardo indicating that this would be his last Grand Prix. However, for reasons that are not yet entirely clear, things have not progressed on this front.

It could be that Ricciardo didn’t want to be the center of attention. He may not have wanted to be distracted by career considerations. There may still have been contractual issues to resolve if things had not been 100% agreed.

He may also have held out hope that a brilliant performance on the streets of Singapore could force Red Bull’s hand to keep him. Even if there was only a 0.01% chance that he would get a result like that, it was worth fighting for. Ricciardo has shown throughout his career that he is not one to back down from adversity; so why wave the white flag at this time?

As he himself pointed out on Thursday evening: “The crazy thing about this sport is that if I get on the podium this weekend, I’ll probably be the hottest person in the sport. That’s the kind of merry-go-round we’re in. And I know it can change very quickly. I’m aware that things are speeding up, so to speak, but I just have to try to keep a level head this weekend. And yes, kick some ass.”

The latter scenario appeared to take shape on Friday evening, when Yuki Tsunoda finished fourth in the second practice session, with Ricciardo just two places further back, with VCARB briefly looking well-suited to the Marina Bay circuit.

And Marko himself suggested that all hope was not lost for Ricciardo. Speaking to Sky Germany in Singapore about the situation that evening, the Austrian said: “[Ricciardo] said that if he finished on the podium, the situation would be completely different. I completely agree with him.”

This theory would also explain why Ricciardo’s behavior looked so different on Saturday night, with his elimination from Q1 meaning his fate was all but sealed. Ricciardo’s smile was always there, but you could see he was forcing it sometimes. There were also times when he had to contain himself.

When asked if the qualifying result hurt him more because it seemed that the day before there was an opportunity for a very good result, with Marko’s suggestion to the media that a podium could have change everything, Ricciardo thought before answering: “You can’t go from one race to the next, like, it’s… it’s not good. I thought today everything would be fine. But, yeah, no, it’s is…yes. I won’t say more.”

Time to say goodbye

On Sunday evening, when Ricciardo’s tire strategy failed and he found himself battling at the back of the pack, it was clear in his mind that this was the end. This explains why he was so willing to set the fastest lap at the end of the race and why, once the checkered flag was raised and the gloves were off in the parc ferme, he stayed in the car for a while, soaking up his final moments as an F1 driver.

Even though no official announcement came, to those outside of Red Bull and the Ricciardo camp it was pretty obvious what was happening – all we had to do was wait for final confirmation. Those who wanted to say goodbye to the Australian knew it was the right time, as even Lando Norris was seen in the VCARB garage late at night to greet his former teammate.

Could Ricciardo have had a better start to his final weekend in F1? Absolutely. And given the public reaction when the news was made public, it certainly would have been a moment of joy and emotion. Would he have appreciated that? Yes. Would Red Bull have wanted it? Certainly.

But in hindsight, things are always simpler, and the multitude of interconnected factors – some of which contradicted each other – meant that the opportunity was missed. And who knows, if both parties could turn back time, things might turn out differently.

But as Ricciardo himself pointed out on social media when news of his departure became public, F1 offers both good times and bad. “There will always be ups and downs, but we had fun and, honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. See you for the next adventure.”