Coulthard Predicts Inevitable Ricciardo Exit

Coulthard shares a stark outlook on Ricciardo’s F1 career, hinting at an inevitable change next year.

Daniel Ricciardo would likely have been replaced in 2025 even if he had avoided this premature end in F1 by being barred from the rest of the 2024 season.

That’s the view of David Coulthard, the former Red Bull F1 driver who is well-acquainted with the pipeline and its leaders.

Red Bull will replace Ricciardo with Liam Lawson in its sister team, RB F1, starting from the next Grand Prix in Texas. This means that his 13-year tenure in Formula 1 has likely come to an abrupt end.

“It wasn’t a brilliant comeback for him,” Coulthard analyzes.

“F1 is not a show among friends. It’s about the stopwatch and the position at the checkered flag.”

“It just feels like, even if he went until the end of the year, there would be a change next year.”

“Everyone is sad to see him go, especially in this manner, but no one really disputes that he had to give up his spot, now or at the latest by 2025.”

Ricciardo initially lost his F1 seat at the end of 2022 when McLaren ousted him prematurely, in favor of Oscar Piastri.

He returned mid-2023 with AlphaTauri in place of the underperforming Nyck de Vries.

Ricciardo’s progress was hampered by a hand injury, during which Lawson replaced him impressively. But Red Bull kept Ricciardo in its RB F1 team this year.

Ricciardo even hoped that good results would earn him a promotion back to the main team alongside Max Verstappen, a position he once held. That never happened.

Instead, Ricciardo emotionally left the F1 paddock in Singapore after recording the fastest lap.

“He served a purpose. He was out of the points. If that was his last lap in the fury of a Grand Prix car, on soft tires with little fuel, then the honor of the fastest lap must be a consolation.”

Ricciardo was on the verge of tears after the Singapore Grand Prix when he admitted that his time in F1 was likely over.

“It was a very tough weekend. He arrived amid growing speculation about his future. He had an excellent Friday and everyone thought it would be a great weekend. He had a tough qualifying and in the race… I know he got the fastest lap. But he was so sad, in the end.”

“Lawrence (Barretto, the F1 interviewer) didn’t want to make him cry but… it was touching his emotions.”