The moment when ‘upset’ Daniel Ricciardo very nearly ‘said something’ about Helmut Marko

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Daniel Ricciardo has lost his RB seat to Liam Lawson, the team confirmed on Thursday. The overwhelming feeling both before and immediately after the Singapore Grand Prix was that Red Bull were about to make a change.

In truth, Ricciardo has been fighting for his future all season. The first rumours about Lawson replacing him mid-season emerged within a matter of races.

His very presence was at odds with RB’s business model. They’re supposed to develop young drivers for Red Bull, but this was a 35-year-old given a second chance after losing his McLaren seat.

The only way Christian Horner could justify keeping Ricciardo was if he was a realistic alternative to Sergio Perez. And the Australian’s performances simply haven’t been good enough to justify a promotion.

Ricciardo finished fifth in the Miami Sprint and qualified fifth for the Canadian Grand Prix but he needed to produce those kind of displays far more regularly to merit serious consideration. As it is, he sits 10 points behind Yuki Tsunoda in the standings.

According to ESPN’s Nate Saunders, speaking on the Unlapped podcast, Helmut Marko has been lobbying for Lawson all season. And he’s now got his wish.

Daniel Ricciardo had to bite his lip about Helmut Marko after Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

Ricciardo’s camp have been ‘so upset’ with Marko over his ‘constant’ messaging about Lawson. They feel the 81-year-old has shown a lack of respect for his incumbent driver.

Saunders says Ricciardo very nearly expressed these grievances after qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix. The Australian suffered a miserable Q1 exit at Marina Bay.

Ricciardo bore a ‘fake smile’ in the media pen and debated whether he should abandon his tactful approach. He ultimately kept his thoughts private, but he’s bound to be asked about Marko in future interview appearances.

“It was first time I’ve seen Ricciardo nearly say something about Helmut Marko, who was the one who was putting a lot of the stuff about Liam out there,” Saunders said. “He was asked about some of the stuff Marko’s been saying.

“Ricciardo’s really great with the press. But he kind of turned to one side, and it was like, ‘do I want to say this, do I not?’. He was very political in what he wanted to say.

“From everything I understand behind the scenes, they’ve been so upset – Ricciardo and the people close to him – about Marko and this constant Liam Lawson thing.”

What Michael Schumacher said about Daniel Ricciardo back in 2012

Many feel Red Bull have treated Ricciardo poorly. He hasn’t been afforded the kind of farewell befitting a driver with 257 starts, eight wins and 32 podiums to his name.

But equally, the team will say that they signed him to their driver academy, gave him a chance in F1 (not once but twice) and furnished him with a race-winning car. He owes much of his reputation to Horner and co.

He bows out as one of the most popular figures in the paddock. Lewis Hamilton called Ricciardo a ‘legend’ as a whole host of superstar drivers sent him messages on Thursday.

Ricciardo also won the respect of Michael Schumacher, another seven-time world champion, before he retired. Back in 2012, Schumacher sought him out to commend his defensive driving after an on-track battle at Suzuka.