Marko Explains Ricciardo Exit: Inside the Announcement Delay

Marko clarifies Red Bull’s decision delay on Ricciardo’s exit, highlighting timing issues and giving him a second chance.

Why didn’t Red Bull announce before the Singapore Grand Prix that the decision had been made to part ways with Daniel Ricciardo for the remainder of the RB F1 season?

This open secret denied the Australian a proper farewell weekend. However, according to Dr. Helmut Marko, there was no other way, as he explained in his column for Speedweek.

“The announcement of Daniel Ricciardo’s departure was made only after the Singapore race weekend due to compelling reasons related to commercial agreements,” said the Austrian.

“He himself was informed in time and – to put it this way – is at peace with it. I also believe that the fastest lap he achieved was a worthy farewell performance.”

Regarding the reasons for his dismissal, Marko is direct while defending Red Bull.

“We gave him a second chance that no one else would have given him. And it was done with the idea that a return to Red Bull Racing was possible if the performances were strong enough. The RB F1 team was never intended to be more than a stepping stone. But the necessary performance only showed up twice: once with a fourth place in the Miami sprint this year and last year in Mexico.”

“Otherwise, the speed wasn’t there, and neither was the consistency. All the performances that would have justified a promotion to Red Bull Racing were missing. But that was the entire aim of his season.”

“If we had known why his performance wasn’t up to par, we would have done everything we could to change it. But the same killer instinct was simply no longer visible. He was famous for his overtakes and uncompromising braking. But that wasn’t the case anymore either.”

RB F1 is set to give Liam Lawson another opportunity after his impressive performance last year. He is confirmed until the end of 2024. But what comes next? Horner revealed that this is indeed an audition for Lawson, potentially for 2025. For RB F1 or, perhaps, Red Bull Racing?

“Liam Lawson can now participate in the final six rounds of the World Championship for the RB F1 team,” said Marko.

“We will assess how he compares to Yuki Tsunoda, and then we’ll see what happens next. He needs to deliver a performance worthy of Formula 1, as he has already done in his previous GP appearances.”

“We also have other strong juniors in our young driver program, like Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar.”

“The GP appearances of Oliver Bearman and especially Franco Colapinto have shown that young drivers are ready for promotion, and the old philosophy of some team leaders, that only drivers with three or four years of experience in a top team can be promoted, is outdated. Mercedes proved this with their decision on Antonelli, just as Red Bull Racing has done several times in the past.”

“You can rely on youth. It’s a bit risky, but it’s manageable and worth it. You need to give these boys a chance to prove themselves in F1 after climbing the ranks.”