Daniel Ricciardo F1 exit puts $35 MILLION Red Bull deal in jeopardy

Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo exit puts $35 MILLION Red Bull deal in jeopardy

Daniel Ricciardo was dropped from RB after the Singapore GP

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 13 October 2024 20:00 Updated: 07:37

Daniel Ricciardo's exit from Red Bull could put a huge deal in jeopardy for the team going forward.

The popular 35-year-old was dropped from the company's Visa Cash App RB team after the Singapore Grand Prix, with young New Zealander Liam Lawson coming in to replace him.

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Ricciardo’s F1 performances have severely declined since he joined McLaren in 2021, with the Aussie unable to recover his previous form this season, and was eclipsed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

The Japanese star delivered consistent points finishes for RB, whilst Ricciardo failed to get out of Q1 on multiple occasions, with his performance in Singapore signalling the end of his career.

Christian Horner hopes Daniel Ricciardo will remain in the Red Bull family

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The Australian is beloved by F1 audiences for his sense of humour and paddock antics throughout the years, including debuting the ‘shoey’ as a form of podium celebration.

Despite being axed from the F1 grid Ricciardo the Circuit of The Americas chairman, Bobby Epstein is hopeful he will attend the US Grand Prix next week, where Ricciardo memorably arrived on via horseback in 2022.

Daniel Ricciardo's worth to RB was reportedly $35 million

The circuit’s desire to see Ricciardo at the race shows that the Aussie still holds tremendous marketing appeal, and according to ESPN, his presence was 'vital' in securing the $35 million-a-year title partnership with Visa and CashApp.

They added that Ricciardo’s presence in RB helped increase this amount ‘a testimony to the marketing clout of the man still considered to be the face of Netflix's hit documentary series "Drive to Survive’.’

Without Ricciardo’s presence at RB their commercial value could drop due to his popularity attracting sponsorship and merchandise sales.

However if he does continue on in an ambassadorial role for RB or Red Bull their revenue could receive a boost, and the financial implications of his exit could be mitigated.

Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo Christian Horner Yuki Tsunoda Liam Lawson Singapore Grand Prix