What Red Bull did at the Singapore Grand Prix that ‘upset’ Daniel Ricciardo’s camp

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Daniel Ricciardo may have taken part in his final Formula 1 Grand Prix in Singapore last weekend. Red Bull are expected to announce that Liam Lawson will replace him with immediate effect.

Lawson will take over for the final six races of 2024, starting with the US GP next month. The longest gap remaining on the calendar, it’s an opportune moment to make a change.

This will offer Red Bull an opportunity to evaluate Lawson. They can decide whether he’ll partner Yuki Tsunoda at RB full-time – the most likely outcome.

Lawson could also replace Sergio Perez on the back of an impressive stint. Max Verstappen’s teammate produced another poor showing in Singapore after recently showing signs of improvement.

David Croft believes Ricciardo could be on the grid in 2025, and theoretically, Lawson joining Red Bull would open up that possibility. But the emotional Australian seemed to regard Singapore as his farewell.

Indeed, RB could sign Isack Hadjar, the Formula 2 title contender, rather than returning to the 35-year-old. The team seem inclined to look towards the future.

Daniel Ricciardo’s camp wanted clarity over his future before the Singapore Grand Prix

According to a report from ESPN, Ricciardo’s ‘underwhelming’ performances have bolstered the faction inside Red Bull that wanted him out. He’s only finished in the points once in the last seven races.

Much of that is down to RB’s regression, with Tsunoda only scoring twice in the same period. But the management would expect a driver of Ricciardo’s historic calibre to punch above his weight.

Christian Horner has been advocating for Ricciardo, while Helmut Marko has been pushing for change. And that dispute wasn’t resolved before the race at Marina Bay.

‘Sources close to Ricciardo’ were apparently ‘upset’ that Red Bull didn’t inform him of their decision before the race. That created a ‘messy’ and ‘counter-productive’ situation.

Anthony Davidson shares peculiar final radio messages to Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo endured a rather grim weekend out on track, starting 16th after a Q1 exit. In the race, he was the last classified driver after a controversial late pit stop for the fastest lap.

Anthony Davidson was surprised by RB’s radio messages to Ricciardo in the closing stages. They didn’t seek his opinion on whether to stop for fresh soft tyres.

Naturally, McLaren were suspicious. The junior team denied race winner Lando Norris an extra point in his battle with Max Verstappen.

But Red Bull were considering whether to pit Perez, maintaining that they played no role in RB’s decision. It may be that Laurent Mekies and co. instead wanted to grant Ricciardo one last glory run before he stepped away.