Daniel Ricciardo has spoken out for the first time since news of his VCARB dismissal was made public. The Aussie is being replaced by Liam Lawson for the final six races of the season, effectively ending his F1 career at the age of 35.
The writing was on the wall for Ricciardo during the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend, with rumours that it would be his final F1 race swirling around the paddock. The eight-time Grand Prix winner gave tearful interviews after the race, in which he set the fastest lap at the very end.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner recently spoke about the 'difficult decisions' that need to be made in order to test whether up-and-comers have what it takes to succeed in F1.
And ousting Ricciardo to give 22-year-old Lawson a chance at VCARB - the second Red Bull-owned team on the grid - is the brutal outcome. "I've loved this sport my whole life," Ricciardo wrote on Instagram.
"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."
The best years of Ricciardo's F1 career were spent at Red Bull, with whom he finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 2014 and 2016. Stints at Renault and McLaren followed, before the Australian found himself out of a seat at the start of 2023.
He settled into a Red Bull reserve driver role until VCARB drafted him in to replace the under-performing Nyck de Vries part way through the season. But he never managed to rediscover the levels he showed earlier in his career, and his haul of 12 championship points in 2024 is just over half that of his team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda.
Lawson deputised for Ricciardo in five Grands Prix last year, scoring two points and impressing with how he stacked up against Tsunoda. Many were surprised that the New Zealander was not given a full-time seat off the back of his audition.
With six races to go this season, starting with the United States Grand Prix on October 20, the pressure is on for Lawson to secure VCARB's second seat, which is one of only two F1 vacancies yet to be officially filled.
