Throughout the entire Singapore GP weekend, Daniel Ricciardo insisted that he had no clear update regarding his future, despite several reports suggesting that the race at Marina Bay was his last. However, a month after his departure, Liam Lawson—who has since replaced Ricciardo—revealed last week that he knew he would take over from the Aussie at some point in 2024, potentially as early as the Azerbaijan GP weekend.
Lawson’s remarks led to many wondering whether Ricciardo was kept in the dark about his future. However, as per veteran F1 photojournalist Kym Illman, the 35-year-old also knew.
Ricciardo just had to put up a charade in front of the fans and the media as RB wanted to keep the news of his sacking a secret and only reveal the same once the weekend was over. Illman revealed in his latest YouTube video that he received this news from Ricciardo and RB team principal Laurent Mekies. Illman said,
“I spoke to his (Ricciardo’s) management over the weekend and Laurent Mekies and both agreed that the handling (of the sacking) was less than ideal. His management said that Daniel had no qualms at all about Liam replacing him; he felt it was based on merit“.
The Australian journalist revealed that Mekies suggested RB might have taken a different approach to announcing Ricciardo’s sacking. Mekies acknowledged the challenges Ricciardo would have faced in maintaining a facade for two or three days in front of the media, who posed several difficult questions.
Fans were particularly unhappy with the way RB and Red Bull handled Ricciardo’s departure as many believed that the 35-year-old deserved a farewell, considering what he has given to the two teams and the sport overall.
How is Ricciardo spending his life after F1?
Although it has only been a month since Ricciardo left F1, the Perth-born driver seems to have discovered things to enjoy. The 35-year-old recently appeared in a promotional video for Western Australia, where he could be seen driving a dirt bike.
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Since Ricciardo is only 35 and drivers older than him are still racing in F1, fans are hopeful that he may still return. However, a cheeky social media post from him suggests he may have retired for good and is not keen on returning to F1.
Ricciardo recently appeared in a post, where he can be seen wearing a baseball cap that read, “I’m retired. Having a good time is my job“.
