Daniel Ricciardo’s time at Red Bull appears to be over for good.
The RB team announced on Thursday that Ricciardo would no longer drive for the team. The news was expected after Ricciardo’s emotions following the Singapore Grand Prix. The 35-year-old driver made it clear that he knew the race in Singapore could have been his last Formula 1 Grand Prix.
“Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work over the past two seasons with us,” RB Team Principal Laurent Mekies said in a statement. “He has brought a wealth of experience and talent to the team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone develop and foster a great team spirit. Daniel has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and has never stopped smiling. We will miss him, but he will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family.”
Liam Lawson will take Ricciardo’s place alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the final six races of the 2024 season. RB’s reserve driver Lawson appeared in five races last season after Ricciardo suffered a wrist injury ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Ricciardo rejoined the Red Bull family in 2023 as the team’s reserve driver and was promoted to the RB junior team after just 10 races following the sacking of Nyck de Vries. Ricciardo competed in two races before the injury and then competed in the final five races of the season.
Ricciardo spent the first eight seasons of his Formula 1 career with Red Bull and won seven races with Red Bull Racing. He took three wins and a third place in the standings in 2014 and was third again in 2016. Ricciardo currently sits 14th in the 2024 standings with 12 points. Tsunoda has 22 points.
Ricciardo’s move to Renault (now Alpine) is one of the biggest what-if moments in modern F1. Ricciardo managed just two podiums with the team in two seasons and left for McLaren ahead of the 2021 season. He took what could be the final Grand Prix win of his career with McLaren in 2021 at the Italian Grand Prix after the famous collision between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
At 35, it’s hard to see Ricciardo returning to F1. Especially in 2025. All seats are booked outside the Red Bull family and one spot at Sauber, as Mercedes will have Kimi Antonelli replacing Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari will pair Hamilton with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will race for Williams. Haas will field cars for Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman, while Nico Hulkenberg will take one of the Sauber seats. Alpine is promoting reserve driver Jack Doohan to replace Ocon.