Martin Brundle shares what was ‘confusing’ about Daniel Ricciardo’s possible F1 exit in Singapore

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Daniel Ricciardo potentially took part in his last Formula 1 race when he crossed the line at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Australian finished in 18th place after pitting for a third time to switch to a set of soft tyres and set the fastest lap of the race.

Ricciardo’s attempt caused some controversy as it denied race-winner Lando Norris the extra point, with some branding the move unsporting by Red Bull because they used another team to their advantage.

His last lap could prove to be crucial in helping Red Bull and Max Verstappen defend their Drivers’ Championship, although it will likely be a small consolation for Ricciardo whose F1 career looks all but over.

RB has yet to make any official announcement that it is replacing Ricciardo, but with rumours that Liam Lawson will be in the car from Austin due to a contractual situation within Red Bull it has led to many believing that his time is now up.

Martin Brundle believes the send-off for Ricciardo was ‘confusing’ and explained why he thinks he deserved better when writing in his Sky Sports column.

Daniel Ricciardo’s potential F1 send-off ‘half-hearted’ says Martin Brundle

Ricciardo was voted ‘Driver of the Day’ by fans in what could turn out to be his final race in F1, although there is still some ambiguity over whether Red Bull will replace him.

The next race in the US is home to many of RB’s main sponsors including Visa and CashApp, the former of which used Ricciardo in a lot of their marketing campaigns.

Brundle believes any send-off for the Australian has been ‘half-hearted’ and deserved more for a fan favourite on the grid.

“It was Daniel’s last race in F1 for a while, and perhaps forever. It was a rather half-hearted and confusing exit from the team perspective,” said Brundle.

“The fans rewarded him with driver of the day as a farewell present, and that leaves him with a tally of 257 starts, 8 wins, 3 poles, and 32 podiums. And an awful lot of smiles and happy fans.”

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Ricciardo made his F1 comeback last year with RB to replace the underperforming Nyck de Vries, and had ambitions to rejoin the main Red Bull team.

This year was seen as judgment over whether Red Bull would decide on their future with Ricciardo, but so far the Australian has failed to consistently beat teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

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Ricciardo is likely to regret never having the car to show his true potential, having made moves to Renault and McLaren to varying success outside of his Red Bull career.

Lawson is expected to take his seat having impressed when he replaced Ricciardo last year for six races, after he broke the metacarpal in his hand at the Dutch GP.