Message to ‘mega’ former McLaren driver-anticipated to be his final race of the season

It is looking like Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career is officially over after his departure from Visa Cash App RB.The Aussie secured the fastest lap and the Driver of the Day award at the Singapore Grand Prix in what many anticipated to be his final race of the season, given how emotional he looked after the race.

The Aussie secured the fastest lap and the Driver of the Day award at the Singapore Grand Prix in what many anticipated to be his final race of the season, given how emotional he looked after the race.

Months of speculation suggested that Liam Lawson was set to replace Ricciardo at RB. Sure enough, Red Bull’s junior team have opted to drop the 35-year-old, with Lawson coming in for the remaining six races of the season.

Ricciardo rejected an offer from Red Bull to return as a reserve driver given his age. While many will hope to see him back on the F1 grid, Craig Slater understands Ricciardo’s F1 career to be over.

In 257 race starts, the Aussie won eight races, grabbed three pole positions and 32 podiums as he established himself as a hugely popular figure around the world.

Zak Brown lauds Daniel Ricciardo as ‘one of a kind’ after his Red Bull exit

This was evidenced by the magnitude of people coming to the 35-year-old’s social media to offer messages of support, with Lewis Hamilton labelling Ricciardo as a ‘legend’ after a fantastic career.

Another key figure to send a message to the Aussie was McLaren CEO Zak Brown. The American worked with Ricciardo at the Woking-based squad from 2021 to 2022, where for the most part, the 35-year-old struggled to perform.

But one moment that stands out at his time at McLaren was his victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix – McLaren’s first win since 2012 with Jenson Button in Brazil. Brown, who got a tattoo to commemorate the win, spoke of that as a fond memory in a post on X as he reminisced over his time with Ricciardo.