Daniel Ricciardo F1 BLAME statement issued by RB chief

Daniel Ricciardo

RB chief issues Ricciardo BLAME statement

The Australian lost his seat in the sport mid-season

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Thursday 26 December 2024 21:57 Updated: 22:55

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Visa Cash App RB chief Laurent Mekies has issued a clear statement on who he feels is to blame for Daniel Ricciardo's poor performances with the team.

Ricciardo joined the outfit midway through the 2023 campaign when they were still known as AlphaTauri, stepping in for the axed Nyck de Vries.

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The goal for the Australian was to perform well enough to eventually earn himself a promotion back to Red Bull where had previously partnered Max Verstappen. However, this was not to be.

Instead, Ricciardo underperformed at VCARB and was axed himself, with Liam Lawson — the man eventually promoted to Red Bull in place of Sergio Perez — having been the man to replace him for the final stint of the 2024 campaign.

Daniel Ricciardo lost his F1 seat after the Singapore GP

Liam Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB

Mekies issues Ricciardo blame

Despite Ricciardo's shortcomings, however, and the fact that he was eventually axed from the team, VCARB team principal Mekies refuses to put the blame solely on the Aussie.

Instead, the VCARB chief claims that the team did not get Ricciardo in his high-performing sweet spot often enough, shouldering some of the responsibility for his demise.

"The question we have been asked the most was: 'Can Daniel still produce the ultimate speed we have seen?' I think he has on a few occasions, in Miami, in Canada [fifth place in qualifying] and in quite a few other races," Mekies told Autosport.

"So, he did produce that ultimate speed that took him to race wins in the past.

"But for the team, as for the drivers, the biggest difficulty is not to be fast one day. It's to be fast in every race.

"Did we manage to keep Daniel in that sweet spot often enough? No, that's the reality.

"I raised my hand and we raised our hands as a team because we have a big part to play in it. And this led to what happened."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Daniel Ricciardo Sergio Perez