Daniel Ricciardo steps down as F1 reserve; Red Bull’s Helmut Marko confirms Isack Hadjar as his replacement.
Things seem to be clarifying hour by hour regarding the fact that Daniel Ricciardo indeed raced his last F1 race in Singapore.
Dr. Helmut Marko has just hinted that Liam Lawson deserves his place in F1 and should start before 2025. Moreover, he announces that Frenchman Isack Hadjar is expected to take over his position as reserve and simulator driver next year, for Red Bull Racing and RB F1.
This aligns with the very latest statements from Ricciardo who has just confirmed that if he were indeed to give up his spot to Lawson, he would not remain as a reserve for the Red Bull teams.
“No, that does not interest me.”
“Obviously, last year, it made perfect sense to keep a foot in the door and, clearly, the main goal was to try to return to Red Bull.”
“I think if I were to do that again, it wouldn’t really make any sense. I’m not going to start my career over.”
“I’m also 35 years old and I’ve consistently shown the pace I’ve had over the years, but it’s obvious that it’s more difficult for me to show it every weekend.”
“And that might be a bit of an age thing. I think it was easier for me at 25 than at 35, but maybe also because the competition is increasing.”
“That’s probably a common point in all sports: simulators are improving, the drivers are younger, so naturally they are better prepared.”
“And they now have access to all the dashboards, telemetries, videos, so they can observe and study everyone.”
“Maybe it’s just that the level has risen and it’s probably a difficult task for me to fight at this level week after week.”
“I can’t be disappointed with that. I’m happy I was able to do it before and it was a lot of fun.”
“And if that’s the case, I want to make sure I leave or quit the sport with good memories and not reach that point where it’s just a chore. That’s obviously not fun.”
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F1 Shakeup: Hadjar Replaces Ricciardo as Reserve F1 Shakeup: Hadjar Replaces Ricciardo as Reserve
