Official: Ricciardo dumped out of F1, who will replace him at Red Bull?

What had been an open secret and it didn’t take long to become official: Daniel Ricciardo has been dropped by Red Bull management and loses his place in Formula 1.

The move was confirmed by the Visa RB team in a brief statement on their social media platforms in which they thanked Daniel.

Meanwhile, team principal Laurent Mekies dedicated a few words to the Australian: “He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit. He has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and never without that smile. He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family”.

Management felt obliged to act as they were left unconvinced by Ricciardo’s performances since his return to Red Bull as third driver in 2023. He partnered Yuki Tsunoda at the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing 13th in his first race midway through the season.

Ricciardo’s metacarpal injury

He followed that with a 16th-place finish in Belgium but a fractured hand injury meant he missed the next four races, in which he was replaced by reserve driver Liam Lawson.

Now it appears that Lawson will be his permanent replacement. The 22-year-old New Zealander will be kept on as a race driver for 2025, with the chance to secure promotion to the senior team further ahead.

It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for Ricciardo, whose last race was at the Singapore Grand Prix in which he finished 18th and told reporters afterwards: “Obviously, I was aware maybe that was my last race, so I tried to enjoy that. I think I’m in a much happier place now in the sport than I was then. So if this is it, let’s say I have a little bit more peace and I’m proud of the career.”

F1 has taken a breather and will return on 18 October with the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas - the first of the last six races of the 2024 season.