Daniel Ricciardo’s unrelenting belief in his F1 future was met with heartbreak as Red Bull confirmed his replacement after Singapore GP.
Ricciardo never gave up on his Formula 1 seat until the very last moment, according to Peter Bayer, CEO of RB F1.
Many fans of the renowned Australian driver were outraged that Red Bull’s management kept the news of Ricciardo’s replacement by Liam Lawson after the Singapore GP under wraps—despite it being apparent to nearly everyone.
Bayer, however, reiterated that it was Ricciardo himself who requested the team not to officially confirm his dismissal.
“As we said (in Austin), we had agreed with Daniel that we wouldn’t announce it,” he told Auto Motor und Sport today.
“We knew it would seem a bit odd, but we also did it to protect our driver. It was his wish.”
According to Bayer, Ricciardo “clung to the idea that he might perform so well in Singapore that Red Bull could change their mind.”
Other rumors suggest that a race win or podium in Singapore could have triggered contractual clauses ensuring he would keep his seat.
“He believed until the very end that he could qualify at the front and show everyone what he was capable of,” Bayer continued.
“I have never seen such mental strength in an athlete. And I’ve been involved in many sports.”
Unfortunately, Singapore—Ricciardo’s final F1 race—was not a good weekend for the driver.
“It was a terrible moment when he was eliminated in Q1. You could already hear over the radio that his world had collapsed.”
“We then sat together in our office at two in the morning and asked him what we should do next. He told us we should just let him race. He simply didn’t want any scandal.”
In the end, Ricciardo was in tears after the night race at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday—but it took several days before Red Bull finally confirmed that Lawson would take his seat for the rest of the season.
Many of his fans were furious with Red Bull.
“As a team, we supported him,” Bayer insists. “If Daniel had stayed until Abu Dhabi, we would, of course, have celebrated his farewell with fireworks and photos on the grid, just as we did for (Kimi) Raikkonen. That’s what everyone would have wanted.”
He also emphasizes that it was Red Bull who actually gave Ricciardo a second chance to shine in Formula 1 after being let go by McLaren due to poor performances at the end of 2022.
“We gave him another chance that no one thought possible. It was important for us that, at the end of this journey, we could look in the mirror and say we did the right thing for him—even if the whole world and his nine million Instagram fans criticized us.”
- Don’t Miss>Monaco GP Fees Double to €25M in F1 Deal Renewal
- Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates.
Red Bull Kept Ricciardo’s Fate Quiet Until the End Red Bull Kept Ricciardo’s Fate Quiet Until the End
