Red Bull F1 criticised for 'wrong' Daniel Ricciardo call

Daniel Ricciardo, VCARB, Visa, RB, Singapore, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Red Bull criticised for 'wrong' Ricciardo call

The popular Australian was replaced by Liam Lawson last month

Kevin McKenna

Wednesday 9 October 2024 19:00 Updated: 15:21

Visa Cash App RB have been heavily criticised over a major decision regarding their ex-driver Daniel Ricciardo.

The eight-time Formula 1 race winner was dismissed from the team last month, with former reserve racer Liam Lawson taking his spot.

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The announcement concluded months of speculation over Ricciardo's future, with the Australian under significant pressure to keep hold of his seat after a run of disappointing results.

Daniel Ricciardo was replaced by Liam Lawson at RB in September

The Australian's F1 career appears all but over following his departure

'Lawson could have been in sooner'

However, the move didn't go according to plan, with his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda consistently outperforming his more experienced counterpart, resulting in the Japanese driver being offered a new contract with the team.

With no seat lined up for 2025, Ricciardo has likely been seen for the last time behind the wheel of an F1 car.

In the immediate aftermath of his departure, the former Red Bull driver received plenty of tributes from fellow colleagues, pundits and fans across the world.

Ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner has also hailed Ricciardo's impact on the sport, but doesn't believe he should have been given an initial opportunity at RB ahead of Lawson.

In a column for the official F1 website, the Drive to Survive star wrote: "He brought a lot of new fans to Formula 1.

Ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner has spoken out on Ricciardo's RB exit

"He is a big character and a nice guy as well, everyone got on with him. But this is Formula 1 - and this is how it is.

“It was the same with Daniel when he replaced Nyck de Vries mid-season last year. He impressed them in the reserve role and then a Pirelli tyre test.

"It wasn’t 100% that he would be better, but the hope was there.

“It’s all about your gut instinct. Yes, you have the information, but in the end it’s down to the gut to make the decision.

“They put Daniel in instead of Nyck, but obviously it wasn’t the right choice as they took him out mid-season. Someone made a wrong decision there. They could have put Liam in then.

“I’m not trying to blame someone who made a bad decision, it’s just one of those things. It’s a gut feeling.

“At the time, I think they thought Daniel has won races and that he should have recovered from his years when he was unhappy at McLaren.

"But it didn’t work out like you think it works out. It’s one of those things.”

Red Bull Formula 1 Daniel Ricciardo Yuki Tsunoda Liam Lawson Nyck de Vries