Felipe Massa sends message to long-time rival Daniel Ricciardo after emotional Singapore Grand Prix

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Daniel Ricciardo has taken part in more than 250 Grand Prix and raced against some of the best drivers in the history of Formula 1.

The Singapore Grand Prix may end up being Daniel Ricciardo’s final race in the sport and it didn’t end how he would have liked.

A difficult qualifying session saw him eliminated in Q1 and the first race in the history of the Marina Bay Street Circuit that didn’t feature a safety car only harmed his chances of an unlikely points finish even further.

Ricciardo was the final driver to cross the finish line but he did so quicker than any of his rivals, picking up the fastest lap of the race that could prove crucial in the Drivers’ Championship at the end of the season.

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Verstappen thanked Ricciardo for his final effort as it meant Lando Norris can no longer win his first F1 title regardless of what the Dutchman does.

Ricciardo admitted he expected a present from Verstappen as a result but was also very emotional throughout his media duties after the race.

Every driver reaches a point where they know their time in Formula 1 is coming to an end but very few get the chance to choose that moment themselves.

Felipe Massa was able to walk away from F1 in 2017 after initially trying to retire the previous year but Ricciardo looks set to miss out on that same opportunity.

Liam Lawson has been sitting patiently in the paddock all season waiting for his chance and it looks like he’s about to be handed his second F1 debut at the United States Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa sends message to Daniel Ricciardo with his F1 future hanging in the balance

Ricciardo’s return to Formula 1 hasn’t gone as well as he or the Red Bull group would have liked.

He was parachuted back into the AlphaTauri team last season to replace Nyck de Vries and Ricciardo admitted his dream was to race for Red Bull once again.

Ricciardo was Christian Horner’s preferred candidate to replace Sergio Perez earlier in the year when the Mexican was really struggling.

The RB20’s issues may have saved Perez until the end of the season with Verstappen having similar issues, although he’s still dealing with them much better than his teammate.

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In a video on Instagram of Ricciardo being greeted by RB guests and staff, Massa replied and applauded the Australian before saying: “You deserve it brother.”

It was a fitting reception for a driver who has given Formula 1 so much but Red Bull and RB’s inability to clarify Ricciardo’s future before the weekend have led drivers to give muted reflections on their long-time rival and colleague given they don’t know whether or not he’ll be joining them in Austin.

When Daniel Ricciardo’s RB exit could be announced after the Singapore Grand Prix

It appears to be a matter of when not if Ricciardo’s exit from the RB team is confirmed.

Speaking in the paddock after the race, Kym Illman suggested Ricciardo’s departure could be announced as soon as Tuesday.

It makes sense not to hang around from Red Bull’s perspective as Lawson will need as much time as possible to prepare for his return to the grid.

Karun Chandhok has told RB what it must do with Lawson between now and the next race weekend in Austin to get him up to speed.

The pressure will be on the young Kiwi from the first lap and while Franco Colapinto has given him the blueprint of how to adapt to a mid-season seat swap, replacing Ricciardo is a much greater task than Logan Sargeant.