Although he is still one of the most well-known and beloved faces in F1, Daniel Ricciardo was never considered by Red Bull for the recent driver reshuffle involving Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. This was revealed by Helmut Marko, the team’s advisor, in an interview with Motorsport.
Daniel Ricciardo made a brief appearance in the paddock at the Australian Grand Prix, but left the circuit already on Thursday, before the on-track action got underway. No official announcement, no interviews: a discreet presence that, however, did not go unnoticed among the insiders and the more attentive fans.
Helmut Marko confirmed: “Daniel made his last race and since then he has kept away from Formula 1. He was briefly present in Australia, but I think he had already left by Thursday. He has never been part of our interests.”
The possibility of Daniel Ricciardo returning to the Red Bull team was never on the table. Despite the Australian driver expressing a desire to regain the seat in the team where he won eight races between 2014 and 2018, Marko was categorical: “No, he has never been considered.”
Daniel Ricciardo lost his seat in Racing Bulls after the 2024 Singapore GP, with Liam Lawson called in to replace him for the final six races of the season. A delicate handover, but one handled with great respect by the Australian.
It was Lawson himself who revealed to GQ Australia how much he was touched by Daniel Ricciardo’s behavior during that difficult period. “I talked a lot with Daniel when everything was happening. He never said a negative word about me. He always supported me, and when I signed with Red Bull, he was the only driver, past or present, to write to me to congratulate me.”
A gesture that once again shows Daniel Ricciardo’s human quality, today away from the tracks but still present in some way.
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