Helmut Marko attacks Ricciardo’s ‘whole performance’ after being dropped from F1 grid

Fifteen months ago, Daniel Ricciardo made his return to the Formula 1 grid. The Australian’s signature smile was once again seen in the World Championship paddock, backed by thousands of fans who had been eagerly calling for his return to the sport. However, this was not a dream return to elite sport.

Red Bull gave Ricciardo another chance to succeed in F1, and while he impressed in the test that earned him a seat with their sister team, Racing Bulls, his performances over the past year have been underwhelming. This has led to his second - and possibly final - farewell to the sport.

Could Ricciardo return to Red Bull?

As Red Bull team principal Christian Horner mentioned on the F1 Nation podcast, Ricciardo will remain connected to the brand in an “ambassadorial capacity.” Horner acknowledged, however, that having a driver of Daniel’s caliber within the team leaves the door open for a potential return, should the right opportunity arise.

In contrast, Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko expressed a more definitive stance in his recent Speedweek column: “Daniel Ricciardo’s departure was not announced until after the race weekend in Singapore for compelling reasons relating to commercial agreements. 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.” Unfortunately, Ricciardo fell short of these goals and was released from the team following the Marina Bay races.

From his return at the 2023 Hungarian GP to his final race at the 2024 Singapore GP, Ricciardo’s time back in F1 was marked by inconsistency. A wrist injury sidelined him for five races last season, and according to Marko, only two performances stood out during his second stint: a fourth-place finish in the Miami sprint this year and a seventh-place finish at the 2023 Mexican GP, his best Sunday result. Beyond that, Ricciardo’s speed and consistency were lacking, with no signs of the form that would justify a promotion to Red Bull—something that was the ultimate goal.

“He was given a second chance that nobody else would have given him”, Marko’s column continued. “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.”

‘The speed wasn’t there and the consistency wasn’t there either’

Marko concluded that this second chapter with Red Bull bears no resemblance to Ricciardo’s first, when he was a race winner known for his daring overtakes and moves that have become part of F1 history. This time around, however, he was unable to unlock that same potential.

“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 there. He was famous for his uncompromising overtaking, for braking at the last point. But even that was no longer the case”, he concluded.