A year after Red Bull rescued him from the limbo to which McLaren had sent him, Daniel Ricciardo leaves the Formula 1 World Championship exactly as he returned to it. On that occasion, the Australian replaced Nyck de Vries, whom those responsible for the red buffalo brand cruelly disowned, in his own way, from their team. b —then under the name of Alpha Tauri—, to take back one who was always one of their own. Ricciardo always identified himself as a Red Bull athlete, even though at the time he decided to leave the umbrella of an energy team that was already focused on Max Verstappen.
At 35 years old, the Perth driver’s time at Renault (2020) and, above all, his signing for McLaren (2021) were almost as traumatic as his departure from the Woking structure (2022), ahead of time and with a millionaire settlement. The bet did not turn out like everything else paddock expected, and this Thursday, RB announced what had been intuited for some races, especially since the last one, last weekend, in Singapore, where Ricciardo passed practically saying goodbye. Liam Lawson will get into his car from the next stop on the calendar, in Austin (October 20), and will complete the remainder of the season. At 22 years old, the New Zealander already made his debut in the championship last year, as a temporary replacement for Ricciardo himself, who broke his hand.
This same Thursday, after hearing the news, many of his fellow brawlers on the track wanted to encourage the runner. aussiea member of the grid whose charisma always transcended his record. His numbers are good —8 wins, 32 podiums, 3 pole position and 17 fast laps—; his smile, even better. In the 13 years that he has been around the World Cup, Ricciardo has had time to leave that mark that makes him unique and authentic, something that is so difficult to find in an ecosystem designed to sell the product in any way. Only he is capable of getting Lewis Hamilton to agree to do a shoeythe trademark celebration of the house of Danny Rickthe one that leads the honoree to take a drink of the champagne on the podium using one of the boots used during the race in question as a glass.
“I have loved this sport all my life. It has been wild and wonderful at the same time, quite an experience. To the teams and people who have done their bit, thank you,” Ricciardo posted on his social media profile, in reaction to RB’s statement. “To the fans who love this sport sometimes even more than I do, thank you. With its ups and downs, but it’s been fun and, truth be told, I wouldn’t change it for anything. Until the next adventure,” the pilot said goodbye. “It has been an honor to compete with you over the years. I will never forget the battles, the laughter, and drinking from your boot. It was disgusting, but I’m glad I did it with you,” Hamilton wrote on his Instagram profile. “You leave as a legacy having always been yourself, something that is not easy in this sport. You have passed by here with your big smile, and for that I congratulate you,” added the seven-time world champion.
“Heads up, friend! There are many more good moments to come,” Verstappen added. “From the moment you arrived at Red Bull, it was clear that you were much more than a driver. Your constant enthusiasm, your sense of humor and your attitude will leave an incredible legacy in the team, in Milton Keynes and throughout F1,” complimented Christian Horner, director of the champion team, and one of those who pushed the most to get him back in its moment.
