The Red Bull contract ‘theory’ about why Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 exit couldn’t be announced in Singapore

Follow us on Google Discover

RB driver Daniel Ricciardo’s mood throughout the Singapore Grand Prix weekend appeared to change as the event went on, and his fate appeared more and more evident to himself and everyone else in the paddock.

Before the race, Daniel Ricciardo knew he was still fighting for one of the only two vacant seats on the grid next year at RB.

A clause in Liam Lawson’s contract was looming that meant the team had to decide soon who would be in the car for next year.

Ricciardo hadn’t set the world alight on his return to F1 while Lawson had shown plenty of promise during his cameo with AlphaTauri last season.

However, all of a sudden, it became clear that Ricciardo may have run out of time to fight for his seat.

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

Martin Brundle suggested Ricciardo was potentially on his way out before the first practice session on Friday and by the time the race finished on Sunday, the Australian was clearly emotional when speaking to the press.

Speaking on the Pit Talk Podcast, journalist Mat Coch shared what he had seen in the Singapore Grand Prix paddock as he reported on the 35-year-old.

Coch admitted he had a theory about why everyone associated with Red Bull, RB and Ricciardo were so coy when talking about his future.

He wondered if they didn’t have a choice, however, the lack of clarity made his final moments on the grid all the more difficult to deal with for some.

Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull contract theory about why his F1 exit wasn’t announced at the Singapore Grand Prix

Talking about Ricciardo’s difficult position, Coch said: “Everything that I saw post-race on Sunday pointed to the fact that Daniel will not race in Formula 1 again.

“From him sitting in the car at the end of the race and just savouring the moment, to breaking down in tears in media interviews after the end of the race, to walking back into the RB hospitality suite, I was there, I had goosebumps for this.

“Walking back in with a standing ovation and a guard of honour, none of this points to a driver who’ just going to come back for the United States Grand Prix.

“It’s somewhat sad in many respects that there was no formal send-off, acknowledgement or whatever.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Visa Cash App RB F1 Team from team principal to Red Bull relationship

“I’ve got a theory on that; I believe that contractually that Red Bull can’t acknowledge it and that’s why the rhetoric throughout the weekend was everything was available, everything was an option.

“They can’t say Daniel’s out of a drive because then there’s maybe a clause in Daniel’s contract that he could get compensated for that or something, my theory is that there’s a legal underpinning to all of that but we all know that’s coming.”

Coch also said that ‘all of his intel’ suggests that no announcement was coming on Tuesday although in theory there’s no reason to rush a decision or confirmation given the break before the next race in Austin.

Zak Brown tells RB what they should do with Daniel Ricciardo now

Ricciardo is one of the most popular figures in the paddock and with the wider Formula 1 community.

Ted Kravitz gushed over Ricciardo when news of his potential exit became more concrete and Sky Sports F1 showed him a montage of his best moment during his post-race interview.

Ricciardo worked with Zak Brown at McLaren where he lost his seat at the end of the 2022 season.

Although his time at McLaren didn’t work out, Brown believes RB should give Ricciardo until the end of the season before deciding whether he should be replaced.

While Brown wasn’t enthused about his fastest lap at the end of the race in Singapore denying Norris an extra point and McLaren’s first grand slam in 26 years, it wasn’t enough to want to see him not return after the autumn break for the next race in Austin.