Daniel Ricciardo had offer ‘dangling’ from £603m Formula 1 team after losing McLaren seat

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Daniel Ricciardo suffered a difficult exit from Formula 1 after the Singapore Grand Prix, losing his drive at RB to Liam Lawson.

The Australian driver made his debut with HRT in 2011 and immediately proved he could race effectively at the highest level.

Ricciardo took his first victory in 2014, finishing third in the championship and outclassing his teammate, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, at Red Bull.

He left the Austrian team at the end of the 2018 season as Ricciardo lacked enthusiasm about the incoming Honda engine, which had been underpowered and unreliable.

A difficult stint with Renault and McLaren ended in 2022 after floundering in the midfield. Ricciardo eventually joined RB midway through last season, but he could have been battling against the Italian team in the midfield.

Daniel Ricciardo had the opportunity to join Haas for the 2023 Formula 1 season

Ricciardo sat on the sidelines for the first half of 2023 in Formula 1, after his disastrous stint with McLaren came to an end.

The Australian driver eventually rejoined the grid at last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, replacing Nyck De Vries who severely underperformed.

READ MORE: Yuki Tsunoda ‘expected’ to follow Daniel Ricciardo out of Red Bull and join nine-podium team for 2026

Haas have been a team racing in the midfield for much of their time in F1 since joining the grid in 2016. The American team, worth £603m (via Forbes), could have had Ricciardo in the car as Guenther Steiner pushed to sign the eight-time race winner.

Speaking on The Race F1 podcast, Ben Anderson explained that Haas were looking to sign Ricciardo last season.

He said: “I always thought, if he really wants to keep going in F1, he should probably take the Haas seat that Guenther Steiner at the time was dangling and then rebuild it slowly.”

Haas would have been an interesting option as they aren’t a junior team linked to a more competitive outfit.

They have also had moments of brilliance in their time in F1, building a car capable of driving to the top five at some events in 2018.

There could be challenges ahead for Liam Lawson while replacing Daniel Ricciardo in F1

Lawson has been given a great opportunity in Formula 1 to deliver good performances and prove he is good enough to race full-time next season.

The New Zealander proved last season in a five-race cameo that he can battle in the midfield, even taking a ninth-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Lawson’s stint at RB will begin at the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas, a Sprint weekend.

This means just one practice session on a difficult circuit he has never driven on before, against drivers that are fully up to speed.

The RB driver will also take a 10-place grid drop for an engine penalty, and Red Bull have been warned that Lawson may suffer a difficult F1 weekend in Austin.