Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko says Daniel Ricciardo has been forced out of Formula 1 because he lost his killer instinct behind the wheel.
The Austrian powerbroker has also revealed Ricciardo was told on Sunday that Singapore would be his last race, though he stopped short of explaining why it’s taken so long to be made public.
RB announced overnight that Ricciardo would be replaced by New Zealander Liam Lawson for the final six races of the season starting with the United States Grand Prix on 18–20 October.
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Ricciardo later confirmed via social media that he would bow out of Formula 1, having earlier said he intended to end his career with a final stint in the Red Bull family.
The announcement ends a week of fervent speculation that Red Bull has been preparing to push Ricciardo out of his seat, despite the Australian having been told in late July that he was safe for the rest of the season.
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Ricciardo was forced to endure the speculative uncertainty throughout what turned out to be his swan song in Singapore, with the reality of his situation slowly and emotionally dawning on him through the weekend.
Marko claimed that Ricciardo had been told ahead of Sunday’s race that it would be his last, though he wouldn’t reveal why the Australian was denied a proper send-off with earlier notification.
“[The timing] was related to a variety of factors and obligations,” he told Motorsport Total. “He was informed, and the worthy farewell performance was, I think, the fastest lap.
“That still showed what potential he has, not continuously and not at the level that would have justified him coming to Red Bull Racing, but that was an impeccable performance.
“I don’t know what exactly happened, because if we knew, we would have helped him. But the speed and, above all, this late braking, and then he goes left or right … in these last few years he tried but it was no longer there, the killer instinct was gone.
“I think it was clearly communicated that he has to be significantly better than Yuki Tsunoda, and he only managed that in a few races, so it was clear that this story of the prodigal son rejoining Red Bull Racing unfortunately didn’t work out.
“He said very well that he is at peace with himself and he has come to terms with the situation, and we will see what his plans for the future are.”
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While Marko has been pushing to see Lawson promoted to RB this season, the long-time manager of Red Bull’s driver program had previously been a Ricciardo patron, bringing the Australian through the junior ranks and up to Toro Rosso before eventually seeing him make his Red Bull Racing debut in 2014.
Ricciardo seemed certain to be the brand’s next success story, following in the footsteps of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, who he soundly beat in his first season as the German’s teammate.
But his career took a different turn in the crucial contract year of 2018, when he decided to up stumps for Renault for the following season.
Not only did it take him out of race-winning machinery, but Marko said his stints at the French team and later at McLaren undermined the fundamental elements of what made him such a formidable driver.
“I think the decision to leave Red Bull Racing was the turning point in his career,” Marko said.
“He came to us, beating Vettel with three-to-zero victories in 2014 and after that, Daniil Kvyat was faster than him at times, but over the season he also had him under control.
“And then Max came and he got stronger and stronger, so that was certainly one of the reasons for his decision to choose Renault over us.
“He had certain reservations about the Honda engine and apparently he listened more to the sweet talk of Renault and Cyril Abiteboul. Financially, there wasn’t much difference between what Renault offered him and what we offered.
“I also told him, ‘Shoeys will be hard for you’. I don’t think we’ve seen Renault on the podium a lot.
“Then he didn’t have a winning car at either Renault or McLaren. He did win at Monza [in 2021], but those were special circumstances.”
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