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Tsunoda "emotional" after saying goodbye to former teammate Ricciardo
Yuki Tsunoda admitted that he felt "a bit emotional" after speaking with Dnaiel Ricciardo after the Singapore Grand Prix, knowing that that was the final race for the Australian in the 2024 season. The former Red Bull Racing driver has been replaced by Liam Lawson at Visa Cash App RB for the final six races of the season, all but ending Ricciardo's time in F1.
Ricciardo made his Formula 1 debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix for HRT, starting 257 Grands Prix and earning eight wins, along with 32 podiums. After success at Red Bull, he made a move to Renault, and then McLaren, seeing a decline in what was a brilliant career. However, 'The Honey Badger' returned, replacing Nyck de Vries after the 2023 British Grand Prix, partnering up with Tsunoda for the rest of the 2023 season, as well as the majority of the 2024 season before he was replaced.
It had been quite a tough season for the Australian in terms of performance, with his Japanese counterpart out-performing him at many races throughout the season. Red Bull wanted to assess Lawson alongside Tsunoda. It saw the end of Ricciardo, and his time in F1 looks to have come to an end.
Tsunoda says he "learned the most" from teammate Ricciardo
For Tsunoda, he says that he will miss having Ricciardo as his teammate in the world of F1: "We spoke after the race in Singapore, eye to eye, and we said thank you, and we appreciate each other. I was a bit emotional, to be honest. I think he was a very good teammate. I think he is the driver I learned most out of anybody."
The Japanese driver also commented on some social media posts from Ricciardo that hinted that he may have retired from the sport: "Obviously, it's kind of this environment, it is what it is. But I saw a couple of social media posts, he was wearing a hat or something like that, and he seems like enjoying the time off a little bit."
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