Tears over epic, classy Daniel Ricciardo act with Oscar Piastri

Daniel Ricciardo has spilled the beans on how his emotional Formula 1 exit went down behind the scenes with photos bringing fans to tears.

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed his final helmet swap was with fellow Aussie Oscar Piastri.

The former Red Bull driver shared a series of photos on Instagram on Friday morning where he showed behind the scenes details of his final race weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix last month.

The 35-year-old’s Formula 1 career came to a messy end at the Marina Bay Street Circuit when he was denied a chance to officially say goodbye to the sport because the guillotine was only dropped in the days that followed the race.

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Ricciardo was emotional during his final race, despite being unable to confirm he had been replaced by Kiwi Liam Lawson heading into the United States Grand Prix on October 21.

While Ricciardo was given a guard of honour by the team as he walked into their hospitality suite behind the pits after the race, the circumstances behind the axing remain clouded.

The former Renault and McLaren driver has now shown what happened behind the scenes.

One photo particular has pulled on the emotions of his legion of fans with Piastri gifted the helmet he wore in his final race.

Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri swap helmets. Photo: Instagram, @danielricciardo.

The photo shows Piastri holding up the Visa Cash App RB (VCARB) team helmet with Ricciardo holding up Piastri’s McLaren lid.

Former F1 world championship runner-up David Coulthard summed it up when he suggested he was in tears when commenting on Ricciardo’s post.

“Don’t mind me…just cutting onions,” the British driver wrote.

The official account of the Australian Grand Prix also shared a “loudly crying face” emoji.

“I can’t do this today,” the organisation posted.

Journalist Mariana Malek commented: “Why am I crying all over again”.

Other photos shared by the Perth product were also enough to get some fans choked up.

One showed the Australian’s number printed on the floor of the team’s Singapore Grand Prix garage.

Another showed the Aussie’s helmets and gloves laid together on the ground like flowers at a tombstone.

He also posed for a photo with the team, flashing that famously-bubbly grin.

The much loved ‘Drive To Survive’ larrikin still has reason to smile.

He has shown no interest in moving to American motorsports such as IndyCar or NASCAR, but, Aussie Supercars chief Shane Howard on Thursday said from Bathurst, Ricciardo would be welcome to drive in Australia’s premier motorsport category.

The No. 3 in the Singapore pits. Photo: Instagram, @danielricciardo.

Daniel Ricciardo puts his weapons away. Photo: Instagram, @danielricciardo.

There have, however, been plenty that have done their best to wipe the smile off his face.

F1 great and popular analyst Johnny Herbert on Thursday said Red Bull should have dropped Ricciardo earlier.

Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko also said in the days after Ricciardo’s axing that he pushed for the swap with Lawson to be made earlier this year.

Christian Horner — a known Ricciardo supporter — even admitted their close relationship was the only reason the Australian was given an extended chance to prove himself with VCARB.

Horner has even kept the door open for Ricciardo — should Red Bull’s Sergio Perez or RB’s Yuki Tsunoda need to be replaced.

“Is he serious,” an incredulous Herbert told CasinoHawks.

Daniel Ricciardo and the VCARB crew. Photo: Instagram, @danielricciardo.

“Horner has always been Daniel’s champion, ready to fight his corner and give him chance after chance. Helmut Marko has been the one pushing for change. It’s all part of the Red Bull power struggle it seems.

“Dropping Daniel had to be done. It had been going on for far too long. Daniel had chance after chance, but it was never going to happen. There has been no real positive signs from Daniel this season. Change should have happened much sooner.

“How can Red Bull risk putting him in their car? Daniel was quick but he is not anymore and has been blown away by Yuki Tsunoda, his teammate. Why is Yuki not being spoken about instead?

“I don’t get it. I don’t understand Christian Horner’s willingness to give Daniel a possible lifeline when his best days are clearly behind him. He should not have that chance. His time has come and gone. It is the end of the F1 road for him. Everyone is saying it. It hasn’t happened for him for many a year.”

Marko also launched several classless attacks on the veteran driver.

Marko wrote in his Speedweek column that Ricciardo received treatment no other driver would have — but didn’t deliver consistently enough to justify a promotion to the top Red Bull team despite Perez also struggling to get anywhere near world champion teammate Max Verstappen.

With Lawson contractually demanding to be promoted to race the final six races of the year for VCARB — Ricciardo was unceremoniously spat out.

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner and Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images.

“Daniel Ricciardo’s departure was only announced after the race weekend in Singapore for compelling reasons relating to commercial agreements,” Marko wrote in his Speedweek column.

“He himself was informed in good time and – to put it in his own words – he is at peace with himself. I also think that the fastest race lap he set was a worthy farewell performance.

“He was given a second chance that nobody else would have given him. And this was done on the premise that a return to Red Bull Racing is possible if his performance is up to scratch. The Racing Bulls team was therefore only ever intended as a stopover.

“But the necessary performance only flashed up twice, once with a fourth place in the Miami sprint this year and last year in Mexico.

“But apart from that, the speed wasn’t there and the consistency wasn’t there either. The whole performance that would have justified a promotion to Red Bull Racing was missing. But that was the purpose of the whole thing.

“If we knew why the performance wasn’t up to scratch, then we would have done everything we could to change that. But the same killer instinct was simply no longer recognisable. He was famous for his uncompromising overtaking, for braking at the last point. But that was no longer the case either.”

He heads into the F1 sunset having left a mark on the sport that most drivers can only dream of.