Last Updated on September 25 2024, 9:42 am

Hope springs eternal and for Formula One’s Daniel Ricciardo this is all he appears to have left. Just weeks ago the Aussie appeared favourite to replace Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen given the Mexican driver was and still is the worst performing team mate from the top four teams battling for race wins.

In fact Perez is the only driver from McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull who has failed to win a race this season. Christian Horner explained after the summer break, they had issued a stay of execution of Checo given some of his favourite tracks where he has won on three occasions were coming up before the next four week break between Singapore and Austin, Texas.

Perez won the 2021 and 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix which sandwiched a dominant win in Singapore during the 2022 season. Yet Since the reprieve was issued by Red Bull, Perez has managed just 13 points from four race weekends and appeared to throw away a podium in Baku when he collided with Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap of the Grand Prix.

 

 

 

Lawson into F1

What is sure is that Liam Lawson will be driving a Formula One car for the Red Bull organisation before the end of the year. If paddock talk is to be believed it will be for the next race coming in Austin, which is also at the first of the final set of three Sprint weekends.

The word in Singapore was Daniel Ricciardo would be making way for the the young New Zealander, as he is the only one of the organisations three F1 drivers without a contract for 2025. Ricciardo has not set the world on fire since his return to F1, ten races in to the 2023 season. Following his broken hands injury in Zandvoort last season, The Aussie returned five Grand Prix later to finish the season on a more positive note than his team mate Yuki Tsunoda.

This year, Yuki has had the beating of Daniel and Martin Brundle predicted even before free practice one in the City State, this would be Ricciardo’s swan song weekend.

However, red Bull instead of confirming the widely heard rumours, proceed as if nothing was happening thus denying Ricciardo a proper send off from his F1 career. It was plain to see the weekend was emotional for the honey badger and journalist Mat Coco now shares with Pit Talk Podcast his observations during the weekend.

Wolff: “Horner always tries to stir the shit”

 

 

 

Criticism of Red Bull PR

He also calls into question why Red Bull behaved the way they did, speculating there were legal considerations to bear in mind.

“Everything that I saw post-race on Sunday pointed to the fact that Daniel will not race in Formula 1 again,” says Coch.

“From him sitting in the car at the end of the race and just savouring the moment, to breaking down in tears in media interviews after the end of the race, to walking back into the RB hospitality suite, I was there, I had goosebumps for this.

“Walking back in with a standing ovation and a guard of honour, none of this points to a driver who’ just going to come back for the United States Grand Prix,” Coch reasons adding, “it’s somewhat sad in many respects that there was no formal send-off, acknowledgement or whatever.”

Ricciardo angry at Red bull bosses

 

 

 

Legal restrictions cited

Coch goes on to speculate the reason why Ricciardo was not afforded a proper send off is due to some legal clause in the Australian drivers’ contract. Yet this explanation doesn’t ring true as Daniel would have waived the restriction of it meant getting a proper send off from his fellow drivers and all those within the paddock who have found him a joy to work with.

Further, its not out of the question that the Red Bull driver could yet play a role in the Sergio Perez saga which is costing Red Bull dear. Checo has scored just 30.3% of Red Bull’s points this year and were his percentage of points scored equivalent to Carlos Sainz, George Russell or Oscar Piastri – all of whom trail their team mates – Red Bull would still be leading the constructors’ championship by a considerable margin.

The reason for Red bull being tight lipped over the Ricciardo situation, codlin fact be because the team are again considering trying him alongside Max Verstappen for the last six races of the year. Perez contract has a clause which allowed the team to replace him, should he fail to hit his target score as a percentage of Verstappen’s – which clearly he has not.

If Red Bull are to claim their seventh constructors’ title, they need to act fast and its not just upgrades on the RB20 which are required. When Max won seven Grand Prix of the first ten this season, the car was the quickest, but Perez was often nowhere.

Singapore’s biggest corruption case linked to F1

 

 

 

Perez will cost Red Bull the title

So even if Red Bull improve the car, they need a new driver strategy given them having offered Checo a last chance saloon at the post summer break circuits where he has won three of his six Grand Prix.

Ricciardo with eight Grand Prix victories has a better pedigree than Sergio and in an era where the cars are so tricky to handle, ,maybe Riccardo would find the RB20 more to his liking than the V-CARB 01.

Of course Ricciardo may do not better, or even worse than Perez, but Red Bull’s strategy of hoping their Mexican driver will find a better day has been proven to be a pipe dream.

With Franco Colapinto replacing Williams’ hapless Logan Sargent, the proof is in the pudding that young drivers can come into F1 and perform well immediately. The Brazilian in one race scored more points than his predecessor did in 45 Grand Prix.

Colapinto has four points from the P8 in Baku, and was close to points in both Monza and with his P11 in Singapore. Red Bull should maybe back their young driver programme and give Lawson the Red Bull driver and keep Ricciardo alongside Tsunoda until the end of the year.

Liberty Media confirms Hamilton team ownership interest

 

 

 

Big Red Bull shake up underway as McLaren poach boss

Major shake-up continues at Red Bull as personnel movements mean the team loses another key executive – The world of Formula 1 is no stranger to dramatic personnel changes, and the latest in a series of high-profile departures, including another senior team boss moving from Red Bull Racing, underscores the dynamic nature of the sport.

Red Bull is set to lose its long-serving chief strategist Will Courtenay to rival team McLaren. Both teams have confirmed the significant move, which marks a new chapter in the fierce competition between Formula 1’s top teams… READ MORE