Daniel Ricciardo’s camp rejected RB exit announcement idea after discovering his fate in Baku

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The United States Grand Prix will be the first event that Daniel Ricciardo isn’t racing for RB after being replaced by Liam Lawson.

Red Bull’s driver situation has been precarious throughout the 2024 season with only Max Verstappen signed up beyond this year at the start of the campaign.

Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez signed contracts midway through the season although the Mexican driver has failed to impress compared to his teammate throughout the campaign.

Daniel Ricciardo was the final driver in the quartet without a deal for 2025 and it became increasingly clear that Liam Lawson was RB’s preferred candidate for next season.

Red Bull had a deadline on determining Lawson’s future but few people realised that meant potentially putting him in the car this year.

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Even Ricciardo at the beginning of the race weekend in Singapore seemed oblivious to the idea that he may not be on the final for the first six Grand Prix of the season.

However, journalist Jon Noble was speaking on the James Allen on F1 Podcast and shared what he had heard about the negotiations between Ricciardo’s camp and Red Bull when deciding how to navigate his exit.

The longer the race weekend went on – especially after Ricciardo’s Q1 exit in qualifying – the more it appeared to sink in that his time in the sport was over.

RB guests even gave Ricciardo a guard of honour on his return to the paddock after the race on Sunday, despite finishing 18^th but picking up the fastest lap.

Noble believes that Ricciardo was told about his fate at the previous race in Baku, but admitted he wasn’t sure why he didn’t want it to be public knowledge before facing the media in Singapore.

Daniel Ricciardo’s camp rejected public announcement of his RB exit in Singapore

Talking about the situation, Noble said: “I’ve spoken to some people who knew what was going on. I think Ricciardo pretty well knew the writing had been on the wall earlier in the season even the Spanish Grand Prix, Helmut Marko was trying to push him out.

“From what I understand he was informed before the Baku Grand Prix and then on the weekend of the Baku Grand Prix that Singapore would be his last race.

“That they needed to bring Liam Lawson in just to understand his potential, his capabilities amid the uncertainty over Sergio Perez’s performances.

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“So, Daniel knew from Baku that this was going to be his final race. I understand there was a conversation [that] took place with the Ricciardo camp about do you want to make it official, do you want to do an announcement, go public, that this will be your final race and you can now say the goodbyes.

“That didn’t go anywhere; they didn’t want that to happen.

“So that’s how it played out, and I think that one of the kinds of things would be nice to speak to Daniel one day about why things played out that way, it’s just why he didn’t want to do that retirement.”

What Daniel Ricciardo told Liam Lawson after the Singapore Grand Prix

Lawson has attended every race this season as Red Bull and RB’s reserve driver but wasn’t called upon this season after being required at Zandvoort last year when Ricciardo injured his hand.

It meant that Ricciardo was able to deliver a message to Lawson after the race in Singapore when he knew for certain that he wouldn’t be driving for the team at the United States Grand Prix.

Ricciardo is not expected to attend the race in Austin despite being a fan favourite at the circuit.

He once famously arrived in the paddock on the back of a horse, fully embracing his love for the country.

However, it’s completely understandable that he needs some time away from Formula 1 in the immediate future before potentially returning one day.