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The Singapore Grand Prix could conceivably be the last time RB driver Daniel Ricciardo is seen sitting on a Formula 1 grid.
After being parachuted back into the Red Bull sister team midway through 2023 to replace Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo’s return to Formula 1 hasn’t quite gone as well as he would have liked.
After picking up an injury just a few races into his second stint in F1 that saw Liam Lawson given a five-race cameo that may have played a part in a decision that seems to be on the horizon.
Formula 1 takes a three-week break after the Singapore Grand Prix before heading to Austin for the first race of a triple-header.
It appears as though Ricciardo won’t be in the RB car for that race and speaking on Ted’s Notebook, reporter Ted Kravitz has shared the latest information he’s heard about the situation.
Ricciardo wasn’t able to give a straight answer on his future after a disappointing Q1 exit from qualifying on Saturday.
Lawson’s reaction to Ricciardo’s early exit was spotted on camera – as it has been on many occasions throughout the season – and it may be the last time he’s watching qualifying from the outside before being in the car himself.
Ted Kravitz tells Red Bull what they must do amid Daniel Ricciardo’s uncertain F1 future
Talking about the Australian’s impact on Formula 1 as he potentially prepares for his final Formula 1 race, Kravitz said: “The sad case really of Daniel Ricciardo who looks like we are saying goodbye to in Formula 1 but no one’s giving Daniel Ricciardo a straight answer whether he should be celebrating and commemorating because this might be his last qualifying today in F1 ever and it might be his last race in F1 ever.
“OK, you can argue If you want about whether he’s as quick as he was anymore.
“But just think about this: think about F1’s popularity, think about popularity in the US, think about Drive to Survive, how much of that is down to Daniel Ricciardo? I’d argue a fair bit.
“And that’s Daniel putting himself out there, being happy, being the character he is and improving the popularity of Formula 1 and he’s not being treated in a straight way.
“Is it his last race? Maybe, if he finishes on the podium, maybe not? Christian Horner talking about well, it’s natural that it’s that you assess your driver options, is it?
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“Difficult decisions have to be made, do they? I mean that’s OK. If you are going to dump him, just tell him.
“Maybe they have told him, but maybe he can’t be straight with the rest of us but it looks like he’s in this limbo.
“If he does know Daniel, then I hope he enjoys his weekend. Red Bull, be straight with Daniel, he deserves more than that.”
David Croft has a theory that Daniel Ricciardo could still be in F1 if he loses his RB seat
Ricciardo has spent the majority of his career as part of the Red Bull family and even when he was driving for Renault and McLaren, that relationship still existed with the team.
Christian Horner has backed the experienced Australian throughout his return to F1 and may be the reason he’s still in the car with Helmut Marko understood to prefer the team’s young drivers like Lawson.
David Croft believes there’s still a chance Ricciardo is in F1 going forward, although that seems unlikely.
It involves Sergio Perez and his 13th-place finish in qualifying hasn’t done him any favours after failing to convert a very strong performance in Baku into points after colliding with Carlos Sainz in the closing stages.
Martin Brundle understands that Ricciardo is on his way out during the impromptu autumn break after Singapore.
As Kravitz has said, Ricciardo has very much played his part in making Formula 1 the global phenomenon it is today.
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