Why the ‘rapid ascent’ of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel is a warning to Max Verstappen

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Daniel Ricciardo has become the latest driver to exit Formula 1 after getting the axe from Red Bull in favour of upcoming talent Liam Lawson.

Liam Lawson had been on the radar for Red Bull since he stepped in for Daniel Ricciardo following a freak accident during the Dutch GP weekend, which forced the Australian to miss the following five rounds.

The 21-year-old impressed on his debut in tricky conditions and the subsequent races by scoring points, putting him in prime position to take over a seat at Red Bull in the future according to Helmut Marko.

The deadline to exercise an option on Lawson’s contract for Red Bull was at the end of September, and with no sign of Ricciardo’s results improving, it looked like a swap in the four-week break between Singapore and Austin was the most likely avenue.

Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, F1 commentator Alex Jacques noted how the departure of Ricciardo mimics a similar career trajectory to Sebastian Vettel and could be a warning to Max Verstappen.

Daniel Ricciardo career ‘ascent’ warning for Max Verstappen

Like Ricciardo at Red Bull, the career trajectory of Vettel was also shortlived in the aftermath of his success at the team.

Although he made the switch to Ferrari to mimic his hero Michael Schumacher, it did not yield title success and ultimately led to Vettel retiring at the end of the 2022 season after two final years at Aston Martin.

Jacques believes this could be a warning to Verstappen, who is currently vying to win his fourth Drivers’ title with Red Bull this season.

“I would say that Red Bull start their drivers so early, like we saw with Sebastian Vettel, maybe they finish a little bit earlier than perhaps other drivers. Because it’s such a rapid ascent that they’ve always given drivers a chance very, very early on and I wonder if that plays a part in it,” said Jacques.

“There’s a benefit to starting early, but Max Verstappen is another one talking about ‘I won’t be here forever’ He’s just turned 27 the other day. He’s already talking about walking out the door.”

Max Verstappen makes quit threat amid FIA swearing row

Verstappen was engulfed in a row with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend when he was penalised by the stewards for his use of language during an official FIA press conference.

The Red Bull driver was ordered to complete ‘work of public interest’ which prompted a retaliation in subsequent press conferences in protest. Instead of answering journalist questions, the Dutchman held his own press conference outside of the dedicated media area.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

It came after Ben Sulayem told drivers to be more mindful of their language and confirmed the FIA had told FOM to start censoring team radio messages that contain expletives.

Marko said Verstappen was the subject of ‘double standards’ by the governing body, while the Dutchman later told media that he might be inclined to quit F1 if the FIA continues to wage war on drivers for petty issues.