Why Alex Albon thinks Franco Colapinto may have played role in Red Bull axing Daniel Ricciardo

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Daniel Ricciardo likely contested his final Formula 1 race at the Singapore Grand Prix, after Red Bull elected to axe him in favour of upcoming talent Liam Lawson.

It had not been the comeback season Daniel Ricciardo had planned when he joined RB midway through last season to replace the underperforming Nyck de Vries.

First he had to sit out five races due to injury, then faced scrutiny at the start of the year when teammate Yuki Tsunoda outperformed him, now with six races left he it out of a drive.

Red Bull had an option on Liam Lawson that expired before the end of September, but Ricciardo still had the power to change their mind if he put in good results. Lacklustre performances at Monza and Baku appeared to seal his fate, with Singapore being the final attempt to salvage his F1 future.

Alex Albon, who raced with Red Bull between 2019 and 2020, believes part of Red Bull’s strategy has been to focus more on their homegrown talent instead of bringing back older success stories when speaking to Motorsport Brazil.

Alex Albon blames Red Bull driver programme for Daniel Ricciardo axe

Albon has been on the receiving end of Red Bull’s ruthless driver programme after being ousted at the end of the 2020 season for inconsistent results.

The Thai-British driver sought refuge elsewhere on the grid and eventually went to Williams, where he has outperformed their car ever since.

Rookies in F1 rarely get an opportunity to shine, but on two occasions this year Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto have proven that it is worth taking the risk if they show good enough performance in practice sessions and simulators.

“He’s a super person, a great ambassador for F1 as well. The decision itself I can’t really speak about, I imagine in some ways the fact that Ollie and Franco have done so well, it motivates Red Bull to start rethinking about the youth,” said Albon.

David Coulthard’s ruthless verdict on Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career

Ricciardo was once the poster boy for Red Bull when he made the move to the senior team in 2014 and outclassed Sebastian Vettel.

During a period of uncertainty for the defending World Champions due to the mix of regulation changes, Mercedes dominance, and Renault power unit deficiencies, Ricciardo brought a sense of optimism within the team.

READ MORE: The five worst moments of Daniel Ricciardo’s career in Formula 1

Red Bull needed an ‘after Vettel’ plan and he managed to convince both Christian Horner and Helmut Marko that he was it while they waited for Max Verstappen.

Once the Dutchman made the move to the senior team in 2016 and started winning regularly in 2018, Ricciardo knew he would be relegated to second-best. The move to Renault in 2019 was seen as bold, but it was the beginning of Ricciardo’s slow decline according to David Coulthard.

The ex-Red Bull driver believes things “didn’t work out” for him in the end, having only achieved a handful of podiums for Renault and ousted at McLaren at the end of 2022 for not meeting his performance targets.