Formula 1: Daniel Ricciardo reflective after Singapore Grand Prix and what could be his final F1 race
Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 future appears to hang in the balance.
The RB driver was emotional following the conclusion of Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix. According to numerous reports, Ricciardo could be replaced by Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson ahead of the Oct. 20 United States Grand Prix. If Lawson takes over for Ricciardo before the next race, it’s possible that Sunday was Ricciardo’s final F1 race.
Ricciardo, 35, took an extra moment before climbing from his car at the conclusion of the Grand Prix. Ricciardo struggled throughout the entirety of the race but made a late pit stop to snag the fastest lap before the checkered flag. By doing that, he prevented race winner Lando Norris from getting a bonus point for running the fastest lap.
“A lot of emotions because I’m aware it could be it,” Ricciardo said after the race. “I think it’s also just exhausted after the race. There’s so much — a flood of many emotions and feelings and exhaustion. The cockpit is something that I got used to for very many years and just, yeah, just wanted to savor the moment.”
Ricciardo’s return to F1 has been a rocky one. After two winless seasons with McLaren, Ricciardo signed to be a reserve driver with his old Red Bull team ahead of the 2023 season. Red Bull was unhappy with Nyck De Vries’ performance early in 2023, and made the decision to replace him with Ricciardo 11 races through the season.
Ricciardo competed in two races for RB — the team formerly known as AlphaTauri — before suffering a broken wrist ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. He returned for the final five races of the season and posted a season-best of seventh in Mexico City.
This season, Ricciardo has been unable to better that result. He’s scored points in just three races with an eighth in Montreal, a ninth in Austria and a 10th at Spa. He has just 12 points to teammate Yuki Tsunoda’s 22.
If Ricciardo is replaced by Lawson, he very likely won’t have a ride in 2025. The only other spot that could be open on the grid is Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull. And if Ricciardo isn’t finishing the season with the junior team, it’s hard to see him as an option to replace Perez in 2025.
If Ricciardo’s F1 career is in indeed over, he finishes with eight wins over 14 seasons. His best season came in 2014 when he won three races and had eight podium finishes while finishing third in the standings. He won twice for Red Bull in 2018 before leaving to join Renault ahead of the 2019 season. He had a winless two seasons with the team now known as Alpine and scored the most recent win of his career with McLaren at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
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