Daniel Ricciardo’s RB boss scolded for ‘talking gibberish’ at Singapore Grand Prix

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Daniel Ricciardo went into the Singapore Grand Prix not knowing whether it would be his final race of the season. Ricciardo’s emotional interviews after the race suggested as much, but he hadn’t received official confirmation.

Ricciardo’s camp were upset with Red Bull given the lack of clarity. The Australian entered F1 as a product of their driver academy in 2011 and won seven races for the team after graduating from Toro Rosso.

He left to join Renault in 2019 but would return in a reserve capacity four years later after losing his McLaren drive. Nyck de Vries’ struggles opened the door for him to rejoin the junior outfit as Yuki Tsunoda’s teammate.

After an underwhelming comeback, he now looks set to lose his drive to Liam Lawson ahead of the United States Grand Prix next month. That will likely be the prelude to Lawson partnering Yuki Tsunoda in 2025, potentially spelling the end of Ricciardo’s F1 career.

RB are in a difficult position. While ostensibly an autonomous enterprise, they’re beholden to Red Bull when it comes to driver decisions.

Their purpose is effectively to train up young talent for Christian Horner’s squad. But the production line has faltered in recent years, with no drivers stepping up since Alex Albon’s ill-fated move in 2019.

Daniel Ricciardo’s boss Laurent Mekies sounded ‘drunk’ at Singapore Grand Prix

Inevitably, the RB team principal Laurent Mekies faced relentless questions about Ricciardo’s future in Singapore. He simply had to bat them away.

As a close observer of the 35-year-old every weekend, he may have an input in the process. But the final decision will rest with Horner, Helmut Marko and the rest of the senior leadership at Red Bull.

After starting out in the FIA, Mekies joined Ferrari as racing director and worked his way up to a deputy team principal position. He started his role at RB at the beginning of 2024.

Speaking on Viaplay’s In de Slipstream programme, former Bridgestone tyre engineer Kees van de Grint accused the Frenchman of ‘talking gibberish’ at the Singapore GP. He said Ricciardo’s controversial late pit stop for soft tyres, which enabled him to set the fastest lap, pointed to the absence of a clear strategy.

“Yesterday, I saw before the race an interview with Mekies,” said Van de Grint. “Then I thought ‘is that man drunk?’.

“That’s what I really thought. He was talking gibberish about ‘we had a good strategy’, ‘we’re going to make all kinds of things’. Well I didn’t see that strategy with soft tyres when you’re at the back.”

Red Bull contract ‘theory’ may explain why Daniel Ricciardo’s exit couldn’t be announced

Since the start of 2022, RB (previously AlphaTauri) have fielded five different drivers. Pierre Gasly left to join Alpine, De Vries lasted half a season and Lawson deputised for an injured Ricciardo at five Grands Prix last year.

It’s been a turbulent period, and there’s no sign of things settling down just yet. Even Lawson isn’t guaranteed to race for the team next year.

If the New Zealander impresses in his anticipated six-race stint, it could put renewed pressure on Sergio Perez. A Verstappen-Lawson partnership would open the door for Isack Hadjar to race for RB in 2025.

RB left Marina Bay uncertain, it seemed, about their line-up for the following race. This may be down to a clause in Ricciardo’s contract, with Red Bull wary of a potential payout if they confirmed his exit before a certain date.