How the media reacted to Daniel Ricciardo’s Driver of the Day vote at the Singapore Grand Prix

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Daniel Ricciardo’s possible parting gift for his Red Bull employers was a last-gasp fastest lap at the Singapore Grand Prix to snatch a point away from Lando Norris.

It’s unknown whether it will make a huge difference in the grand scheme of the championship chase, but for now, it means that Max Verstappen can afford to finish second at every race without any fastest laps and still retain his title.

The Aussie could be on his way out of Formula 1 before the United States Grand Prix in four weeks, with a paddock insider saying ‘a lot’ of people expect his exit to be confirmed soon.

Liam Lawson has been waiting in the wings for an opportunity with Visa Cash App RB ever since impressing as a stand-in for Ricciardo in 2023, and his big chance may finally arrive soon.

Journalists rally behind Daniel Ricciardo’s Driver of the Day vote

The fans’ thank you to Ricciardo in return for the fastest lap was a 20% share in the vote for Driver of the Day – the most of anyone on the grid, which earned him the award for the day.

It turns out that it wasn’t just the fans who were rooting for him, with journalists in the media centre admitting to voting for him.

Speaking on the Autosport YouTube channel, Mark Mann-Bryans mentioned how when journalists saw him behind in the initial vote, they decided to rally behind the Aussie.

READ MORE: Ted Kravitz shares Red Bull problem with Sergio Perez ‘really struggling’ during the Singapore Grand Prix

“He was voted F1 Driver of the Day by the fans, 20% of the vote,” he said. “We can reveal a lot of the press room actually – when the initial vote came up and he was on 11%, a few of us got on our laptops [and] bumped that up a little bit.

“He was really appreciative of that. For him I think it was almost a fan appreciation of what he’s given to the sport.”

Where did it go wrong for Ricciardo post-return?

There was a lot of excitement surrounding Ricciardo’s initial return to the sport with AlphaTauri in 2023, as he replaced Nyck de Vries.

It didn’t take long for things to derail with a broken wrist sustained just three races into his comeback, before returning to score a seventh-place two races after recovering from the injury.

Overall, there have been a few ups, and even more downs since then, with the Australian struggling to find his consistency.

READ MORE: What Drive to Survive were doing with Daniel Ricciardo in the Singapore Grand Prix paddock

He has failed to match the form and pace of his Red Bull days, with a seat at the senior team the initial aim upon his return.

What may frustrate him the most if he has competed in his last grand prix, is that Sergio Perez’s poor performance left him a chance to take the Mexican’s seat if he could’ve hooked up his car a little more.