Jenson Button challenges Red Bull’s controversial decision to drop Ricciardo, questioning fairness and timing of the mid-season change.
The decision to replace Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson for this weekend’s Grand Prix in Austin has not been universally well-received in the paddock.
Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, voiced his disapproval of the choice to drop Ricciardo with immediate effect.
On both substance and execution, the Briton criticises Red Bull F1’s general tendency to change drivers mid-season.
“It’s a bit strange because there’s only one team that swaps its drivers halfway through the season, pulls them out of the seat after three or six races. And that team is Red Bull and AlphaTauri [RB],” remarked the former McLaren F1 driver.
“It’s unusual, and I’ve never seen that in my career, unless someone was crashing the car every race and they said, ‘You know what? We can’t afford to keep you in the car.’”
“So it’s odd. I’ve never been comfortable with it. I’ve always believed a driver deserves a full season to truly show what they can do because that’s what it’s about, isn’t it?”
“It’s a championship, and it’s about how many points you can score over the course of a season, not just halfway through – but they’ve always done things differently.”
“And to be fair, they put Daniel in the car after just a few races as well, so it’s a complicated situation.”
Button does acknowledge, however, that Ricciardo’s performance, particularly since his move to McLaren F1, has been underwhelming – a mystery he finds hard to comprehend.
“I struggle to understand the results he’s had lately because he’s an exceptional talent. He really is!”
Button recalls, in particular, Ricciardo’s first season with Red Bull in 2014…
“To arrive at Red Bull when he did and take on Sebastian Vettel, beat him, it was incredible… and to take on Max and be as competitive as he was, that was incredible too. Truly incredible,” he continued.
“We also saw flashes of performance during his time at Renault, you know, before it became Alpine. It took him a while to adapt, but once he did, he was incredibly quick against Hulk [Nico Hulkenberg], who we all hold in high regard,” Button pointed out.
“Success just didn’t come at McLaren and AlphaTauri, which is really unfortunate. And why? I have no idea.”
Although Daniel Ricciardo is no longer the youngest on the grid, Button dismisses the notion that age is a factor, citing examples like Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
“It’s not his age; he’s not old,” assures Button. “Just look at what Fernando Alonso is still capable of doing.”
“So the only person who probably knows why is Daniel himself, and I feel for him. After being so high for much of his career and then experiencing this decline in recent years, it must be tough.”
“But I think, from what I’ve heard, he’s come to terms with it. He has his whole life ahead of him.”
“I know there’s so much he can do after Formula 1, fun things he wasn’t able to do when he was in F1,” adds Button, speaking from his own experience.
“But it always stings a bit when it’s not your decision to leave – and he’ll feel that pain for a while – but eventually, he’ll move on, and everything will be fine.”
“Daniel is such a personality. He has a great future ahead of him, whether in racing, television, stand-up comedy, whatever it may be. Daniel will find the path that suits him.”
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Button questions Red Bull’s treatment of Ricciardo mid-season Button questions Red Bull’s treatment of Ricciardo mid-season
