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

‘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.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Christian Horner Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing VCARB

About the author

Veerendra Vikram Singh

Veerendra Singh is a senior Formula 1 journalist at TheSportsRush, with a passion for the sport that goes back to 2008. His extensive coverage and deep understanding of the sport are evident in the more than 900 articles he has written so far on the sport and its famous personalities like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff, Charles Leclerc and more... When he's not at his work desk, Veerendra likes to spend time with his two feline friends and watch races from the Formula 1 and MotoGP archive. He is always up for a conversation about motorsport so you can hit him up anytime on his social media handles for a quick word.

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