Following the Singapore Grand Prix, it was announced that Visa RB would be parting ways with Daniel Ricciardo. After an inconsistent season, the eight-time race winner is now being replaced by young Liam Lawson. However, it was a close call, as Christian Horner revealed that Helmut Marko had considered firing Ricciardo as early as June, after the Barcelona Grand Prix.
In the initial races of the season, Daniel Ricciardo visibly struggled with the VCARB01. His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, often outperformed him, leading critics to speculate about a possible driver change. After five spectacular stand-in performances in 2023, it was clear that reserve driver Liam Lawson was ready for an official debut. However, Ricciardo seemed to be slowly improving and was given the benefit of the doubt.
Red Bull Team Boss Christian Horner’s Support for Ricciardo
Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner, a long-time fan of Daniel Ricciardo, has taken the driver under his wing in recent months. The Englishman recently revealed that the Australian would have been sacrificed much earlier otherwise. “He (Ricciardo) didn’t start the season too well,” Horner admitted in the F1 Nation podcast. “In Miami, he had a weekend of two halves. The Friday and Saturday morning were fantastic, but the Saturday afternoon and Sunday were disastrous.” Ricciardo crossed the line fourth in the sprint in Florida, but had to settle for fifteenth place in the main race.
‘I Did My Utmost’
Almost two months later, Ricciardo was at the start of the Spanish GP. At that time, he had collected nine World Championship points, while his teammate’s counter was already at nineteen. “Helmut (Marko) wanted to get him out of the car after Barcelona,” Horner said. “There was so much pressure on him then. I did my utmost to give him as much time in the car as possible, otherwise we would have lost him much earlier.”
The coveted promotion to Red Bull did not materialize, despite Sergio Pérez’s mediocre season. “Checo was of course in heavy weather and Ricciardo seemed to improve a bit from time to time,” Horner concluded. “But it was never convincing enough to say, ‘Okay, you know, we need to switch the two drivers.'” There is a high chance that Ricciardo drove his last Formula 1 race in Singapore. However, according to Helmut Marko, he is always welcome to knock on the door in Milton Keynes for PR purposes.
