After months of speculation and rumours from Red Bull Racing management, Australian favourite Daniel Ricciardo is officially out of Formula One.
The news comes after a difficult Singapore Grand Prix last weekend, during which rumours were rife that it would be Mr Ricciardo’s final race, despite no official confirmation being made at the time.
As his results this season hadn’t lived up to the expectations of the RB Formula One Team (VCARB) or the overarching Red Bull Racing operation, it was announced Mr Ricciardo would be leaving RB team with immediate effect.
Kiwi hotshot Liam Lawson, who subbed in for the West Australian last year after the latter suffered a wrist injury, will drive the second RB entry for the remainder of the season, once again partnering with Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda.
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Mr Ricciardo joined Red Bull’s VCARB sister team (then AlphaTauri) halfway through 2023, replacing struggling rookie Nyck de Vries after a private test in which he reportedly impressed former boss and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
He suffered the wrist injury after just two rounds, leading to Mr Lawson being brought in as a replacement. The Kiwi impressed during his stint with the team, achieving a ninth-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Mr Ricciardo stayed with the team for 2024, entering the season with the chance to prove himself worthy of reclaiming his seat alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull in place of Sergio Perez.
He scored points on five occasions this season and sits 14th in the drivers’ championship standings, albeit 10 points behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda after a difficult start to the year.
Despite an upturn in form since round nine and difficulties for Mr Perez by this year’s mid-season break, Mr Ricciardo was not promoted to a Red Bull Racing seat when the season got back underway.
Last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix came with strong rumours that it would be Mr Ricciardo’s last race in F1, and the Australian was visibly emotional in media interviews following a disappointing race on Sunday.
Finishing 18th and last of all remaining runners, his car was fitted with new tyres in the dying laps, allowing him to set a new race lap record on his final tour of the circuit – and possibly his last racing lap in an F1 car.
Less than a week after the race, VCARB announced Mr Ricciardo would not be continuing with the team before confirming Mr Lawson as his replacement shortly after.
Mr Ricciardo took to Instagram to voice his feelings, writing: “I’ve loved this sport my whole life. It’s wild and wonderful and been a journey”.
“To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you. To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me haha thank you. It’ll always have its highs and lows but it’s been fun and truth be told I wouldn’t change it.
Until the next adventure.”
Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz
Mr Ricciardo signed as a Red Bull test driver in 2009, and made his racing debut with back-markers Hispania Racing Team (HRT) during the 2011 season.
He would move to Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso for 2012, scoring his first points in Formula One at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix – a result also achieved by Mark Webber in 2002 and Oscar Piastri in 2023.
He secured a full-time drive at Red Bull for 2014 alongside reigning four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, outscoring the German in his first year with the outfit thanks to three race wins, en route to a third-place championship finishes in 2014.
He’d achieve the same result in 2016 after winning in Malaysia, before taking victory at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, 2018 Chinese Grand Prix and 2018 Monaco Grand Prix.
Mr Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of 2018 and joined mid-field team Renault, with whom he stayed until joining McLaren in 2021.
His time with McLaren proved to be a struggle, though he chalked up his eighth and final win in the memorable 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
His McLaren contract was cut short and he was paid off at the end of 2022, making way for incoming Melburnian Oscar Piastri, who has since won two races with the team in 2024.
