Daniel Ricciardo opens up on F1 exit

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; RB driver driver Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images For many Formula 1 fans, Daniel Ricciardo was the face of their pathway to the sport. The first season of the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive centered on the driver’s surprising decision to leave Red Bull for Renault, and the charismatic driver helped draw many new fans to F1.

So his return to the Red Bull family late in his career offered a chance for a Hollywood ending. But that fell short of hopes and expectations, when he was sidelined at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls late in the 2024 campaign. However, the driver admits that he was “grateful” that the team made that decision for him.

In a new episode of the Drive podcast with Ford CEO Jim Farley, Ricciardo admitted that he was contemplating his future in the sport when VCARB decided to replace him following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix with Liam Lawson. “In the third race in I broke my hand,” he said in the podcacst released by Ford . “It was such a nothing accident, but I missed however many races, I was out for 10 weeks or something.

” Ricciardo suffered the injury after making a shocking return to VCARB midway through the 2023 season. The driver told Farley that he found himself wondering “[i]s this now a bit of a sign like should I just quit while I’m ahead, nearly. And I was like, no, there’s still unfinished business and I pushed through it.