Red Bull owns up to Daniel Ricciardo mistake after farcical Singapore scenes
Red Bull has finally owned up to a Daniel Ricciardo mistake that was clear for the world to see four days before his brutal sacking.
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The principal of Red Bull sister team RB Laurent Mekies has confessed that the handling of Daniel Ricciardo’s exit was “not ideal” and “frustrating”, one month after the Aussie was unceremoniously sacked.
Ricciardo was axed from the Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team four days after an emotional final race in September at the Singapore Grand Prix where it was clear everyone within the team knew he was heading for the exits.
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However no official confirmation was released by Red Bull, leaving Ricciardo to awkwardly handle questions about the emotional race without being able to confirm it was in fact the final time he would be seen racing for the team.
Kiwi young gun Liam Lawson took Ricciardo’s place at the United States GP on Monday morning (AEDT) and finished in sixth position, with the 22-year-old now an even stronger chance to stay in that seat next year.
However before the beginning of the race in Austin, Texas, RB boss Mekies was asked about Ricciardo’s exit from the team, and surprisingly did accept some fault on behalf of Red Bull and its sister team.
“It was frustrating, and yes, you’re right, it was not ideal to go through the weekend in that way,” Mekies said.
“First of all for him, on a professional and on a personal matter, and for the whole team around him.
“Yes, Daniel was aware (it would be his last race in Singapore). We did have discussions before the weekend. For many different reasons, we chose together to go into that weekend without announcing. And from that point onwards, we had to deal with it.
“It’s a decision that, in hindsight, we may or may not do differently.”
Ricciardo has been a class act in his departure from the sport. A photo of the Perth native swapping helmets with fellow Australian Oscar Piastri was a touching changing of the guard moment.
He has been offered an ambassadorial role with Red Bull amid speculation his exit could threaten his old team’s $35 million title sponsorship with Visa and CashApp.
It appears more than likely Ricciardo will sail off into the sunset and close the door on his F1 career, but a photo caught the eye of F1 fans.
Former motorcross rider Adam Cianciarulo uploaded a photo to Instagram of him and Ricciardo.
In the photo, Ricciardo is a wearing a cap that reads: “I’m retired. Having a good time is my job.”
Eagled eyed F1 fans couldn’t help but notice Ricciardo’s choice of hat, which has been interpreted as the Aussie just having a cheeky joke.
Red Bull may have made him an offer, but it remains to be seen if he will accept the olive branch.
“Daniel is just a brilliant character, a brilliant human being,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said after Ricciardo’s departure.
“He lights up a room when he walks into it, he’s got that infectious smile. I hope he stays around the sport.
“We’ve made it very clear that we want him to remain in an ambassadorial capacity with the team. Of course, one never really knows. If Liam doesn’t get the job done, if Checo (Sergio Perez) doesn’t get the job done … We know what Daniel’s capability is.”
Ricciardo has been linked with moves to NASCAR and even Australia’s Supercars category.
Supercars boss Shane Howard said ahead of the Bathurst 1000: “I think everyone would welcome Daniel with open arms, absolutely.
“Would we like to see Daniel Ricciardo in a Supercar? One hundred per cent.
“Just imagine if he could be in one of our cars and race in a new street race in Perth, that would be something special, wouldn’t it?
“It would be absolutely massive. He is such an incredible driver and such an incredible personality and people just absolutely love him.
“Imagine him racing at Bathurst, wow. That would be very cool indeed.”
Seven-time F1 race winner Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ricciardo would thrive as a team ambassador if he goes down that path.
“So the question is, does he enjoy driving enough, or does he like the social side of becoming a Red Bull ambassador?” Montoya told Gambling Zone.
“Come to races and do events and things and enjoy that without the pressure of driving. Or maybe he just walks away and says thank you to everybody, because if for him, driving is enough and what it is really all about for him he could find a seat in anything.
“There’s life after F1 if you want it. The best example is Mick Schumacher. Mick had F1 trouble big time and it didn’t look like he would ever have another job. Now he’s an ambassador for Mercedes and he’s racing in the World Endurance Championship for Alpine.
“Danny could do that. He has such a big personality, and he’s got a huge following and he is very popular.
“If you think about me, everybody thinks I’m an asshole. If you think of Daniel, oh, he’s such a lovely guy. Maybe I need to do some more Instagram!”
Originally published as Red Bull owns up to Daniel Ricciardo mistake after farcical Singapore scenes
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