Daniel Ricciardo’s contribution to F1: Laurent Mekies explains his role in the Racing Bulls project. The Australian departed from Faenza after last season’s Singapore Grand Prix, relieved of his duties following inconsistent on-track performances. A shocking dismissal, it came just weeks after Sergio Perez was reconfirmed at Red Bull.
Formula 1 is a brutal, ruthless sport. Twenty seats are available, against a pool of potential drivers that seems endless. Reaching F1 is an ambition for many but an achievement for only a select, extraordinarily talented few. Daniel Ricciardo, once a rising star of the paddock, closed his latest chapter at Marina Bay after yet another challenging race with Racing Bulls.
A fan favorite, his dismissal puzzled the public. Only a few weeks earlier, his name was linked to Red Bull as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez. After the Mexican’s reconfirmation—his last before this winter’s upheaval—Daniel Ricciardo’s departure followed, replaced by Liam Lawson, who will partner Max Verstappen at Milton Keynes.
Laurent Mekies: “I won’t forget his role in the Racing Bulls project”
Despite a (second) partnership that wasn’t always smooth, Laurent Mekies fondly remembers Daniel Ricciardo’s contributions to the Faenza team: “Of course, we wanted different results, but we saw him return to showing the full extent of his speed, even if we couldn’t achieve that level consistently.”
“The responsibility is half ours because finding the right balance every week is something that has to be done together. We didn’t manage to achieve this consistently, but we will remember that when we did, Daniel was back at his best, as we saw in Miami.” – the former Ferrari boss pointed out.
“I won’t forget the role he played in the growth of the project and in trying to build a better team, attracting top-level people and pushing us to be faster. He had a huge role in that phase of the team, coming from winning teams and knowing what was needed. That was incredibly important.”
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