Daniel Ricciardo says he’s ‘grateful’ Racing Bulls made the decision to replace him with Liam Lawson

Daniel Ricciardo says he’s “grateful” the decision to leave Formula 1 was made for him after Red Bull and Racing Bulls replaced him with Liam Lawson, leaving six races in the 2024 season.

His first F1 seat came to an end in 2022 when McLaren let him go, bringing in Oscar Piastri instead. A year later, Ricciardo got another chance with Red Bull’s sister team – still called AlphaTauri at the time – taking over from Nyck de Vries.

The Australian’s return hit a setback early when he broke his hand at Zandvoort. Although he managed to hold onto his seat into the next year, growing pressure eventually forced a change before the season finished.

Daniel Ricciardo admits he was ready to leave F1

Ricciardo didn’t formally retire from racing until September 2024, but he’s since spoken openly about the exhaustion he felt during his final stretch in the sport.

The eight-time Grand Prix winner accepts that he lost ‘something’ compared to his peak at Red Bull. With hindsight, he was fighting a losing battle.

That’s why Ricciardo is ‘grateful’ that his future was taken out of his control. He finished his career with 257 Grand Prix starts, which ranks him inside the top 10 all-time.

Speaking on Ford CEO Jim Farley’s podcast, Ricciardo said: “Ultimately, I got let go. That was the reality at the time. I think once that happened, I’d been let go twice in the last two years, and it had also taken a lot out of me.

“I’d put a lot of my soul into it. I was pretty exhausted by it. In reflection, I was grateful that they made the decision for me. I think it would have been hard to be like: ‘I’m done.’

“I think I knew I was probably done because I knew it was harder for me to perform at the level I could.”

How Daniel Ricciardo’s age compares to the current F1 grid

At 36 years old, Ricciardo would be the fourth-oldest driver on the grid if he were still competing.

Fernando Alonso leads the way at 45, with Lewis Hamilton also in his forties. Nico Hulkenberg, now 38, doesn’t seem to be considering retirement any time soon either.

Ricciardo’s F1 journey stretched over 13 seasons, starting with HRT at the 2011 British Grand Prix and concluding at Marina Bay.

After stepping away from his seat, Ricciardo gave Lawson his backing. As a Ford Racing ambassador, he remains loosely connected to Red Bull through their technical partnership with Ford.