Daniel Ricciardo says it’s realistic to expect he won’t be racing in Formula 1 again after the Singapore Grand Prix, and that he is at peace with losing his RB seat if it happens.
Red Bull opted to stick with Sergio Perez when reviewing its driver line-up at the start of August, leaving Ricciardo at RB but with Liam Lawson waiting for a potential race seat. While Yuki Tsunoda is confirmed for 2025, Ricciardo was expecting an answer on next year following the race in Singapore, but with sources suggesting he could be replaced before the next round — the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas — he admits he has accepted that is likely to be the case.
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“Look, obviously there is a realistic chance [racing in Austin] is not going to happen,” Ricciardo said. “I think obviously it’s been a very race by race situation with Red Bull, I think for all of us in a way, obviously Checo as well, and at times it feels like it’s going one way, then it goes the other.
“Obviously there was a lot of emphasis on this weekend. I would have loved a better weekend and who knows if that would have changed anything or if the decision’s been made already prior to the weekend. I’m obviously prepared for it — that’s why over the weekend I tried to acknowledge a few things as well with myself.
“I think acknowledge also why I came back into the sport. Sometimes you see the big picture and I always said I don’t want to be a guy who’s just here on the grid and fighting for a point every now and then, which has kinda been how this year’s gone.
“Obviously this year the purpose was to try and do good enough to get back into Red Bull and fight for wins again, see if I’ve still got it. I felt like I came up short with that, so I think it’s then, ‘OK, what else am I fighting for here? What else is going to give me fulfillment?’
“I’ve been a young driver as well and at some point I don’t just want to take up space. Obviously you have to be selfish, but for me if I’m not able to fight at the front with Red Bull, I have to ask myself what am I staying on the grid for? That’s something I’ve also come to peace with.”
Should it be Ricciardo’s final race in F1, he signed off with a fastest lap after pitting for soft tires from the back of the field and taking the extra point off winner Lando Norris. That ensured Max Verstappen’s championship lead is one point bigger than it would have been, and Ricciardo says he was aware that could be a factor in the decision.
“I had an idea but I also thought they were just letting me have some fun because we were a long way out of the points. We tried softs, trying to be a bit more aggressive at the start and knew it’d be a bit of a tricky place to overtake. So we never know what happens on lap 1.
“Our starts haven’t been great this year and we’re on the dirty side so we thought, OK, if we put a hard on we’re probably going to go backwards, so let’s put a soft on and see where it takes us and if it doesn’t do much for us we can try and pit early and maybe undercut a few cars.
“Look, at the end of the day we weren’t quick enough. I don’t know the full picture of Yuki [Tsunoda]’s race but also saw he was out of the points; maybe that’s also some confirmation that we didn’t quite have it today. So, at the end, fastest lap, kinda hoping Max wins by a point now as I’ve guaranteed myself a very nice Christmas present. So, sorry Lando!”