F1 champion Max Verstappen sends Daniel Ricciardo defiant message after axing

A composite image of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo — Photo: © IMAGO

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Verstappen sends defiant Ricciardo message after F1 exit

Max Verstappen says farewell to former Red Bull team-mate

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 27 September 2024 19:55 Updated: 22:07

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Red Bull star Max Verstappen has delivered a statement of resistance after his former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was confirmed to be leaving the sport with immediate effect.

The Aussie driver was officially let go by Red Bull's secondary team, RB, on Thursday following weeks of speculation over his future on the grid.

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Over his 14 seasons in Formula 1, Ricciardo has raced for five different teams and spent the majority of those years as a member of the Red Bull family.

In 2014, the Aussie was promoted from Toro Rosso, Red Bull's junior team at the time, up to the main constructors under the watchful eye of Christian Horner.

By doing so, Ricciardo replaced fellow countryman, Mark Webber, racing alongside Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat before Verstappen joined the team in 2016.

Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were team-mates from 2014 until 2018

Christian Horner was keen to keep Daniel Ricciardo involved with Red Bull

Verstappen's farewell Ricciardo message

Following the news that Ricciardo would no longer race for RB this season, the 35-year-old took to social media to thank the teams and fans who supported him while teasing his next adventure.

Former team-mate Verstappen made his own thoughts clear on the post, commenting: "Head up mate! Many more beautiful moments to come."

This comes after Ricciardo revealed following his final race in Singapore last weekend that the Dutchman had in the past been the only driver to reach out and offer support during the low points of his career.

Despite not knowing for sure if his race at Marina Bay Street Circuit would be his last, Ricciardo went out on a high, delivering one final gift for Red Bull by stealing the fastest lap from race leader Lando Norris, and in doing so, aiding Verstappen should this year's title race come down to just one point in Abu Dhabi.

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A post shared by Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo)

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner Daniel Ricciardo Sebastian Vettel