(Motorsport-Total.com) – “Of course there is a realistic chance that this will not happen,” Daniel Ricciardo replied after the Singapore Grand Prix when asked whether he would still be sitting in the Racing Bulls car at the upcoming Formula 1 race in Austin.
Did Daniel Ricciardo finally say goodbye to Formula 1 in Singapore? Zoom
It is the first time that the Australian has publicly stated what was already an open secret, but has not yet been officially confirmed by Red Bull: The night race in Singapore will most likely have been the 35-year-old’s last Grand Prix.
Because Liam Lawson is set to drive for the Racing Bulls from Austin onwards, Ricciardo will be without a cockpit for the second time after the end of the 2022 season. And because there are almost no options left for 2025, this time it could be the final end of his Formula 1 career.
Ricciardo is correspondingly emotional in the first interviews after the race. Not only is the physical exertion after the Grand Prix noticeable, he also keeps searching for words and sometimes has to fight back tears.
Ricciardo says goodbye “not fast enough”
Doubly bitter: His race did not go as one would hope for a farewell. After he was eliminated in Q1 on Saturday in qualifying, finishing 16th, the race on Sunday was no better, coming 18th.
“We tried the softs and tried to be a bit more aggressive at the start. We knew it would be a difficult place to overtake. You never know what will happen on the first lap and our starts have not been particularly good this year,” explains Ricciardo.
“We were also on the dirty side. So we thought, ‘If we have a hard [Reifen] If we pull up, it will probably go backwards. So let’s take the soft and see where that takes us,'” said the Australian. But the plan did not work.
Ricciardo was unable to gain a position at the start and also waited in vain for a safety car. “Ultimately, we weren’t fast enough,” said the eight-time Grand Prix winner, summing up his 257th and possibly last Formula 1 race.
Team orders: Ricciardo did not want to “ruin” Tsunoda’s race
To make matters worse, he had to let his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who was using a different strategy, pass him in the middle of the race. The Japanese driver complained on the radio that it was all taking a bit too long.
“I wasn’t trying to ruin his race,” Ricciardo clarified, explaining: “When I crossed the start-finish line, I was told: ‘Let Yuki pass before Turn 7.’ And that’s what I did. So I never questioned it. I knew he was on a better tire.”
“To be honest, I knew the decision was inevitable and I was just waiting for the team to tell me,” said Ricciardo, whose teammate also ultimately missed out on the points by finishing twelfth. The Australian admits that he had of course hoped for a better race.
Season 2024 a rollercoaster of emotions
“Of course I was aware that this might be my last race, so I tried to enjoy it,” said Ricciardo, who said of his situation this year that at Red Bull it felt like they were always just looking from race to race.
There were rumors early in the season that Ricciardo could lose his cockpit to Liam Lawson. Later, it was Red Bull driver Sergio Perez who was allegedly on the hit list, and Ricciardo was considered a possible successor.
Photo gallery: Singapore: The driver ratings by Marc Surer and the editorial team
“Sometimes you feel like it’s going one way, then the other,” he sums up this rollercoaster of emotions and explains: “Obviously there was a lot of interest this weekend and I would have liked a better weekend.”
“Who knows whether that would have changed anything or whether the decision had already been made before the weekend,” said the 35-year-old. Even before Singapore, experts like Ralf Schumacher were sure that it would be Ricciardo’s last race one way or another.
Driver of the day “a really nice gesture”
There were at least two small highlights in this one. Firstly, the election of the official driver of the day, which Ricciardo was able to winA typical “farewell gift” from Formula 1 fans, which Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen have also received in the past.
Ricciardo revealed: “I’ll be honest: I don’t think Driver of the Day usually means much to us drivers. It’s nice, but it’s not something we brag about. But I think the fans are obviously reading the news today and know that this could be my last race.”
Therefore, this time it was “a really nice gesture” and “today I appreciate it,” said Ricciardo. He thanked the fans “for being there and recognizing my efforts and my love for the sport.”
Fastest lap: “Nice Christmas present secured!”
The second highlight was the fastest lap, which he was allowed to drive at the very end. Shortly before the end of the race, when he was already hopelessly in 18th place, the team brought him back into the pits to give him a new set of fresh tires.
Ricciardo already suspected “that they would allow me to have some fun because we were obviously far away from the points.” Side effect: By setting the fastest lap, he took the bonus point away from Lando Norris, who had previously driven the fastest lap.
In doing so, he also did Red Bull and his friend Max Verstappen a favor. With a grin, he explains: “I hope that Max [den Titel] by one point, because then I will have secured myself a very nice Christmas present.”
When asked about this, the Dutchman himself confirms with a laugh: “He can wish for anything he wants!” However, his wish to one day return to Red Bull as Verstappen’s teammate will probably no longer come true.
