With eight Grand Prix victories under his belt, Daniel Ricciardo, 35, says farewell to the Red Bull family following the decision to replace him for the remainder of the season, confirming the speculations raised last weekend in Singapore, where he recorded the fastest lap, pointing that it could be his final race.
On Instagram, he shared his thoughts:
Across 18 races in 2024, he scored points on five occasions, sitting 14th in the drivers’ standings.
On the driver change, RB Team Principal Laurent Mekies commented: “Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work throughout the last two seasons with us. He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit.
“Daniel has been a true gentleman on and off the track and never without that smile. He will be missed but always holds a special place within the Red Bull family.”
Red Bull Racing reserve driver Liam Lawson will step in full-time at RB for the rest of 2024 alongside Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese retained his seat with the Faenza-based squad for 2025.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam,” added Mekies. “He already knows the team well. He drove for us last season and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it will be a natural transition.
“It’s great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. We’re looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together.”
After five seasons with Red Bull at the pinnacle of motorsport, Ricciardo left the team by the end of 2018 to join Renault F1 on a multiyear deal.
Then, the Australian moved to McLaren, a partnership that would end by the end of the 2022 season, a year earlier than initially agreed.
Ultimately, the collaboration between the team from Woking and the driver concluded by mutual agreement.
The Perth-born racer captured McLaren’s first victory since 2012, stepping to the top of the podium in Monza, recording his eighth career win in the series.
At the time, Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, outlined: “Daniel has been a great addition to McLaren. It’s been a pleasure working with him.”
“It’s no secret that we hoped we could achieve more together, but seeing him stand on the top step of the podium as a McLaren driver was a highlight.”
In 2023, Ricciardo rejoined the Milton Keynes outfit as a reserve driver before taking over Nyck de Vries’ seat at Scuderia AlphaTauri, now known as RB, when the squad dismissed the Dutch.
But in his third race since returning to the series, he suffered a broken metacarpal in his left hand in an unfortunate crash into the barriers at Zandvoort Turn 3 early in FP2.
The injury required surgery on his left wrist, forcing the Aussie to miss five races to focus on his recovery. He would return to the cockpit at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
Throughout that time, Lawson, a reserve driver for AlphaTauri, subbed in for injured Ricciardo, becoming the sixth driver from New Zealand to score points at the pinnacle of motorsport at the 2023 Singapore GP.
The Red Bull junior, who took part in FP1 outings with the team in 2022 and post-season testing, impressed the paddock with his performances on his debut as a Formula One driver.
For the final six races of this season, the talented 22-year-old will have another chance to show his potential, aiming to secure a race seat for 2025.
Time will tell what the future holds for the charismatic Australian and where the next adventure awaits him.