Daniel Ricciardo’s Singapore GP post-race interview garnered a lot of attention due to the emotions the Aussie showed. There had been a lot of speculation about Ricciardo’s future and the Singapore race being his last which put a lot of pressure on him. F1 presenter Lawrence Barretto stated that it was incredibly tough for him to interview Ricciardo as his questions opened the “floodgates” of emotions.
On the F1 Nation podcast, Barretto highlighted how the eight-time Grand Prix winner had “always been very open and honest and genuine” with him whenever they interacted in interviews. So, Barretto told Tom Clarkson, “It was certainly, Tom, one of the toughest interviews I think I’ve ever done.”
He asked Ricciardo why he sat for a long time inside the car after a grueling race at the Marina Bay Circuit. Usually, drivers look to get out of the hot cockpit as soon as the race gets over and they pull up in the pits. However, Barretto recalled that Ricciardo sat in there for a lot longer.
Danny Ric ❤️
An emotional Daniel Ricciardo speaks after the #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/53hD09HZ4z
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 22, 2024
Ricciardo opened up and showed his emotional side, owing to all the chatter around his future with RB. Throughout the Singapore weekend, there were reports of the Faenza-based outfit looking to replace Ricciardo ahead of the US GP next month. So, the 35-year-old perhaps knew that it could be the last time he sat in an F1 car as a full-time racing driver.
Barretto also revealed that the entire narrative was around Singapore being Ricciardo’s last race with Liam Lawson ready to step in from Austin onwards. However, he wondered about the little hope of RB giving him the rest of the season while confirming Lawson for the 2025 season.
Barretto ponders over the possibilities of Ricciardo’s F1 fate
The F1 presenter revealed that the vibe in the paddock indicated Singapore being Ricciardo’s swansong in F1. However abrupt or sorrowful it feels, that could be the reality and the Aussie seemed to have accepted that. Barretto still mentioned that because there is no confirmation yet from RB, they may be weighing up the bigger picture.
Even Red Bull boss Christian Horner hinted at looking at the wider perspective in the driver lineup situation at both of their teams. However, the media still speculated that Ricciardo might have run out of rope. The Aussie came back into the Red Bull stable in hopes of returning to the Milton Keynes outfit to fit at the top again.
But now that Sergio Perez seems back in form to some extent, the Aussie driver may not see the incentive in fighting for just lowly points finishes and struggling in the midfield with RB. So, even Ricciardo may accept his fate that his ideal “fairytale finish” won’t be coming true, and his interactions in Singapore indicate the same.
