F1 News
VCARB CEO sheds light on the exit agreement made with Ricciardo
- Jeroen Immink
After it was announced that Daniel Ricciardo was to leave Visa Cash App RB, Red Bull Racing's sister team faced a lot of criticism. According to critics, the Australian - who was replaced by Liam Lawson - had deserved a more dignified farewell in Formula 1. VCARB CEO Peter Bayer has shed some more light on the situation.
Ricciardo returned to the Red Bull family in 2023 after replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. The aim was to return to Red Bull as soon as possible as Max Verstappen's teammate, but it didn't happen. Yuki Tsunoda regularly had the upper hand - both in qualifying and in the race - and Ricciardo no longer showed the speed he had previously at Red Bull. Speculation about Ricciardo's future was rife ahead of and during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend but an official announcement only came a few days after.
Bayer explains agreement with Ricciardo
After Red Bull faced a lot of criticism, Bayer explained Ricciardo's departure. "We had agreed with Daniel that we would not communicate this," Bayer told Auto, Motor und Sport. "He believed until the end that he would be up front in qualifying and show everyone. I have never seen the mental strength in an athlete. And I have participated in many sports," Bayer added.
Ricciardo's qualifying ended in a nightmare at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The eight-time Grand Prix winner finished in 16th place, while teammate Tsunoda finished in the top-10. "It was a terrible moment when he was eliminated in Q1. On the radio you heard that his world had collapsed. Then we spoke to him again afterwards. We sat together in our office at two in the morning and asked him how we should do it now. He then told us that we would just let him finish the race," Bayer said.
Despite a nasty farewell, Bayer did manage to report that the relationship between Ricciardo and Red Bull is still good. "We gave him another chance that nobody thought possible," he said. The relationship between the ex-pilot and the team is still good," the VCARB CEO concluded.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton
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