RB boss shares the moment Daniel Ricciardo’s world ‘collapsed’ during his final Formula 1 race

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Fans were less than impressed by how Daniel Ricciardo’s exit from the Formula 1 grid was handled by Visa CashApp RB in the aftermath of the Singapore Grand Prix.

At one stage, it looked like Ricciardo would be replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull after the summer break, as Red Bull senior management contemplated a mid-season switch to preserve their chances in the Constructors’ Championship.

That plan was quickly vetoed in favour of replacing Ricciardo after a run of lacklustre races in the RB after the summer break, with the Australian formally given notice following the race in Baku.

None of this ended up being communicated to the media, with confirmation of Ricciardo’s exit only coming in the days after Singapore. Damon Hill criticised Red Bull’s handling of the situation, given Ricciardo is one of the fan favourites.

Discussing how they handled his exit, RB team principal Peter Bayer shed some light on how it was handled behind the scenes when speaking to AMuS.

Daniel Ricciardo didn’t want ‘any fuss’ over F1 exit

Much of the situation surrounding Ricciardo’s exit was caused by Lawson’s contract, which stipulated that he had to have an option taken up by the end of September or Red Bull risked losing him to another team.

Given Ricciardo struggled to beat teammate Yuki Tsunoda for most of the season, the team made the tough decision together with the Australian.

“We had agreed with Daniel that we would not communicate it. We knew that we would look a bit old as a team. But we also did it to protect the driver. It was his wish. He believed until the very end that he would finish at the front in qualifying and show everyone what he’s got. I’ve never seen such mental strength in an athlete as this person has. And I’ve been in many sports,” said Bayer.

“It was a terrible moment when he was eliminated in Q1. You could already hear on the radio that his world had collapsed. We then spoke to him again on Saturday. We sat together in our office at two in the morning and asked him what we should do now. He then told us that we should just let him drive the race. He just didn’t want any fuss.”

“As a team, we stood up for him. If Daniel had driven to Abu Dhabi, then of course we would have celebrated his farewell with fireworks and photos on the grid, like we did with Räikkönen back then. That’s what everyone would have wanted.”

Helmut Marko wanted Daniel Ricciardo out as early as Miami Grand Prix

Ricciardo was already on the cusp of losing his RB seat earlier in the season after a disastrous race at the Miami GP, where he finished 15th.

Christian Horner revealed that Helmut Marko wanted the Australian out of the car by the next race in Spain, but eventually decided against the move.

READ MORE: Visa Cash App RB driver Daniel Ricciardo’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

With regards to any comeback for their driver, Horner has refused to rule out whether Ricciardo could end up back in F1 with Red Bull.

However, any comeback does appear to be unlikely given the state of affairs on the grid with more teams looking to invest in younger talent that demand lower wages.