Daniel Ricciardo: RB driver strongly hints Formula 1 career poised to end after Singapore GP | F1 News

Daniel Ricciardo is “ready for this perhaps being it” for his Components 1 profession after the Singapore GP amid sturdy hypothesis the Australian is poised to lose his RB seat to Liam Lawson earlier than the subsequent race.

The 35-year-old, who has received eight grands prix in a 257-race profession over 14 seasons, didn’t play down the much-rumoured suggestion after ending 18th in Sunday’s race that he would seemingly not be returning to the grid for the next race within the USA in 4 weeks’ time.

“I’ve to acknowledge it is clearly been just a little little bit of a race-by-race scenario and I’d clearly have cherished the weekend to have gone higher,” Ricciardo informed Sky Sports activities F1 in a reflective and emotional interview after a troublesome race he was nonetheless voted the followers’ driver of the day and took the quickest lap after a late pit cease for brand new tyres.

“It did not, so I’ve to be ready for this perhaps being it.

“For example I am at peace with it. In some unspecified time in the future it is going to come for all of us.”

Talking shortly beforehand within the TV pen to Craig Slater, Ricciardo stated: “I additionally should acknowledge why I got here again [to the Red Bull stable in 2023] after the McLaren stint.

“I all the time stated I do not need to come again simply to be on the grid, I need to try to struggle again on the entrance and get again with Crimson Bull.

“Clearly it did not come to fruition so then I additionally should ask myself the query: ‘Effectively, then what else can I obtain and what else us there to essentially go for?’

“I put my greatest foot ahead, to illustrate the fairytale ending did not occur however I additionally should look again on what it has been. 13 or so years and I am proud.”

Seemingly in response to the uncertainty about his future, and in recognition of his total achievements in F1, the hugely-popular Ricciardo received the followers’ driver of the day vote on Sunday regardless of experiencing a irritating weekend close to the again of the sphere.

And the Australian admitted: “Usually the driving force of the day is just not one thing us drivers look an excessive amount of into, however immediately I can say it is one thing I am appreciative of. That one immediately means just a little one thing.”

After being let go by McLaren on the finish of 2022 after a disappointing two-year stint on the Woking group, Ricciardo returned to the Crimson Bull fold as third driver initially of the final 12 months and, after impressing in a take a look at of the group’s senior automobile at Silverstone, was handed Nyck de Vries’ seat at sister outfit RB mid-way by way of the 2023 season.

Ricciardo subsequently spoke about it being his “dream” to ultimately return to the primary Crimson Bull group subsequent to Verstappen – the place he beforehand drove with race-winning success in 2014-18 earlier than quitting for Renault – however the Australian has not made a convincing case for promotion within the 14 months since, with team-mate Yuki Tsunoda typically holding the higher hand.

Not like Tsunoda, Ricciardo doesn’t have a confirmed contract to proceed driving in to 2025.

Lawson to get likelihood to impress once more? ‘Generally troublesome selections should be made’

Neither RB nor the primary Crimson Bull squad have formally clarified Ricciardo’s place within the seat past this weekend, though neither have the groups denied the rising hypothesis that reserve driver Lawson is poised to take over the drive from the subsequent race on the Circuit of the Americas for the ultimate six rounds of 2024.

Crimson Bull group boss Christian Horner did verify to Sky Sports activities F1 in Singapore on Friday that they’d use the prolonged break earlier than the US GP on October 20 – which is the primary of a triple-header of races within the Americas – to “think about all these choices” at their disposal.

Horner additionally said that “typically troublesome selections should be made” in relation to assessing Lawson’s potential once more, 12 months on from the 22-year-old’s spectacular five-race stint as stand-in for a then-injured Ricciardo.

“These items are beneath fixed evaluate and there may be clearly a a lot larger image different than simply Daniel as we proceed to take a look at all of our choices as we transfer ahead,” stated Horner.

“There is a pure break coming, with successfully nearly a month’s hole to the subsequent race. It is solely pure that you’re going to take inventory and think about all of these choices for the ultimate a part of the 12 months.

“It is to not the detriment of Daniel. We all know how he is carried out. We have got a whole lot of knowledge, a whole lot of information of the place Daniel is. It is a a lot larger image inside the entire driver merry-go-round of what the longer term appears like.

“Inevitably, we’ll sit down throughout this three-week interval of off time and think about all of these choices.”

And on Lawson particularly, Horner added: “Liam, the job that he did for us final 12 months within the RB, was very spectacular.

“We took expertise over that as a result of Daniel was our banker for if Sergio [Perez] have been to drop the ball. And Daniel’s had an affordable season nevertheless it hasn’t been a stellar 12 months.

“Now the query is, how good is Liam? And typically troublesome selections should be made so as to get these solutions. We’ll sit down with all of these choices accessible to us through the three-week hole.”

Simply six races stay in Components 1 2024 and the season resumes with america Grand Prix in Austin from October 18-20, dwell on Sky Sports activities F1. Stream each F1 race and extra with a NOW Sports activities Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime