Red Bull have been accused of doing Daniel Ricciardo “dirty” at the Singapore Grand Prix, with the outgoing VCARB driver reluctant to leave the F1 paddock following Sunday’s race.
Ricciardo appeared to contest his final F1 race in Singapore amid mounting rumours that he will be replaced by Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson ahead of next month’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Daniel Ricciardo ‘didn’t want to leave’ F1 paddock after Singapore GP farewell
Ricciardo cut an emotional figure at the end of the race, with the 35-year-old given a guard of honour in the paddock by the VCARB team.
The Australian conceded that “maybe the fairytale ending didn’t happen”, having targeted a return to Red Bull’s senior team since he embarked upon an F1 comeback with junior squad VCARB (then AlphaTauri) in mid-2023.
Ricciardo claimed all but one of his eight career victories with Red Bull in a successful spell between 2014 and 2018 before stints with Renault and McLaren.
Analysis: Singapore Grand Prix
In a clip posted to social media, F1 photographer Kym Illman described the scene outside VCARB’s hospitality unit after the race in Singapore, revealing that Ricciardo didn’t want to leave the paddock for the last time.
And he lifted the lid on the general consensus in the paddock that Red Bull have “done him dirty” by not confirming their plans for the rest of the season prior to the Singapore GP, with Ricciardo forced to answer questions related to his future throughout the race weekend.
Illman said: “We are saying goodbye to Daniel Ricciardo and what we’ve seen here tonight has been quite remarkable.
“Daniel has been hugging everybody. People have been coming up to him saying how much of a treasure he is for Formula 1.
“A lot of people saying Red Bull have done him dirty by not coming clean and letting people know what the situation is.
“He sat in his car a long time after the race, gathering his thoughts.
“He’s done a lot of media today and he must be the last driver in this paddock. I don’t think he wants to leave. Only Daniel, I believe, is left in this paddock.
“It’s going to be a sad day when the official announcement comes.
“And when is that announcement? A lot of us think it’ll be early next week. My money is on Tuesday.
“Definitely, we will be saying goodbye to Daniel. He’s saying goodbye to everybody here.
“Remarkable that he was [voted] Driver of the Day, given that he was the last of the drivers that finished the race.
“Quite a magnificent show of emotion for a great Australian.”
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko revealed earlier this year that a clause in Lawson’s contract would have allowed the 22-year-old to cut ties with Red Bull entirely if he was not promoted to a permanent seat for the F1 2025 season, with shareholders keen to see VCARB return to its Toro Rosso roots as a team to train young drivers.
Lawson previously contested five races in 2023 as a substitute for the injured Ricciardo, registering AlphaTauri’s best result up to that point of the season by finishing ninth in Singapore.
Asked about the speculation surrounding the future of Ricciardo last weekend, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hinted at “a much bigger picture” being at play.
He told Sky F1: “These things are under constant review and there is obviously a much bigger picture than just Daniel as we continue to look at all of our options as we move forward.
“There’s a natural break coming, with effectively almost a month’s gap to the next races.
“It’s only natural that you’ll take stock and consider all of those options for the final part of the year.”
Ricciardo was briefly linked with a return to Red Bull’s senior team prior to the summer break before the decision was made to retain Sergio Perez entering the second half of the season, despite the Mexican failing to register a podium finish since April.
The Perth-born driver has scored points just four times in 26 appearances since returning to F1 last year after a short spell on the sidelines following his McLaren exit.
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