‘There Is No Way Back’ for Daniel Ricciardo, Says F1 Expert

For a driver with eight race wins and someone who was once regarded as one of the brightest talents on the Formula 1 grid, the way Daniel Ricciardo’s career ended was shocking, to say the least. But there has been a question lingering in the minds of F1 fans — whether there still is a way for him to make a return. However, F1 pundit Scott-Mitchell Malm believes that there is none.

Throughout the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, rumors were flying around in the paddock that it might be Ricciardo’s last race for RB. And soon after the race ended, RB confirmed they were replacing the Australian with Liam Lawson for the rest of the 2024 season.

Now, the rumor mill has shifted to Sergio Perez. There have been widespread speculations that Red Bull might sack Perez after his home race in Mexico or that the 34-year-old may even announce his retirement.

If this does happen, it could leave an opening for Ricciardo to return again. However, Mitchell-Malm does not believe that the events will play out this way.

“I think what Red Bull is doing with Liam Lawson is evaluating him over six races at RB to replace Perez for next year. I don’t see Ricciardo getting a way back into the Red Bull stable. I don’t think he wants to, especially after the way this was handled and I don’t see him fitting in anywhere else,” Mitchell-Malm explained.

As per the expert, Audi, which is the only team that has an opening for 2025, has no interest in signing Ricciardo either. While there is a possibility that Ricciardo could consider racing in other series such as IndyCar, he himself does not seem to have an interest in switching to Ovals, stating once that he is scared to drive around it.

What’s interesting is that despite the way he was treated by Red Bull and RB, Christian Horner has unexpectedly left a door open for Ricciardo. Horner recently said that if Perez and Lawson both fail to perform, he might call the Aussie driver back.