Daniel Ricciardo never gave up his seat in Formula 1 until the very last moment, according to Peter Bayer, CEO of RB F1.
Many fans of the famous Australian driver were furious that the Red Bull team owner kept the news that Ricciardo would be replaced by Liam Lawson after the Singapore GP a secret – even though it was obvious to almost everyone.
Bayer, however, reiterated that it was Ricciardo himself who asked the team not to officially confirm his ouster.
"As we said (in Austin), we had agreed with Daniel that we would not communicate it," he insists today to Auto Motor und Sport.
“We knew it would look a little strange, but we also did it to protect our pilot. It was his wish.”
Selon Bayer, Ricciardo “clung to the idea that he might be able to perform so well in Singapore that Red Bull might change his mind”.
Other rumors suggest that a race win or podium finish in Singapore could have triggered contract clauses ensuring he would be able to race.
“He believed until the end that he would finish ahead in qualifying and show everyone what he could do,” continues Bayer.
“I've never seen such mental strength in an athlete. And I've played many sports.”
Unfortunately, Singapore – Ricciardo's final race in F1 – was not a good weekend for the driver.
“It was a terrible moment when he was eliminated in Q1. You could already hear on the radio that his world had collapsed.”
“We then sat together in our office at two in the morning and asked him what we should do now. He told us we should just let him race. He just didn't want any scandal.”
In the end, Ricciardo was in tears after Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix night race – but it took several days before Red Bull finally confirmed that Lawson would be in his cockpit for the rest of the season.
Many of his fans were furious with Red Bull.
"As a team, we supported him," insists Bayer. “If Daniel had stayed until Abu Dhabi, of course we would have celebrated his farewell with fireworks and photos on the grid, as was the case for (Kimi) Raikkonen. That's what everyone would have liked.”
He also points out that it was Red Bull who actually gave Ricciardo a second chance to shine in Formula 1 after he was sacked by McLaren, also for poor performances, at the end of 2022.
“We gave him another chance that no one thought was possible. It was important to us that at the end of the journey we could look in the mirror and say we did the right thing for him – even if the whole world and its nine million fans on Instagram were criticizing us.”
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