Max Verstappen’s ‘if this is his last race’ message as Daniel Ricciardo exit rumours intensify

Max Verstappen has said Daniel Ricciardo can be very proud of his F1 career, should this weekend prove to be the Australian’s last.

Speculation is swirling around Daniel Ricciardo as F1 hits its ‘autumn break’ with Liam Lawson linked with his VCARB seat for the remainder of the season.

Max Verstappen: Daniel Ricciardo doesn’t have to feel sorry for himself

Ricciardo’s form this year has seen the Australian perform at a solid, if unspectacular, level as Yuki Tsunoda has, more often than not, had the upper hand.

While Ricciardo’s performances have been stronger in recent races, weak strategies have prevented him from eye-catching drives and the rumour mill suggests Liam Lawson may be set to take his seat – perhaps as soon as the United States Grand Prix.

With Ricciardo’s seat unconfirmed for F1 2025, Red Bull’s option to retain Lawson on its books expired on September 15th. Since then, Lawson has appeared on Red Bull’s Talking Bull podcast, suggesting the ties between the company and Lawson have only strengthened.

Assuming Lawson is set for the vacant VCARB seat alongside the already confirmed Yuki Tsunoda, the question mark is over which Red Bull driver will make way. Sergio Perez appears to have turned a corner in recent races as work has begun to correct the wrong development path pursued with the Red Bull RB20, and speculation regarding his future has calmed since the summer break.

Ricciardo, as the only Red Bull driver without a contract, is thus likely to be the unlucky candidate.

With Singapore potentially his last race with Red Bull, and perhaps his last F1 race given the lack of available seats in 2025, Ricciardo’s former Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen weighed in on the topic as he was asked whether the Australian deserves to stay in F1.

“Daniel is a great guy. I think he has proven himself as a great Formula 1 driver. He’s a friend of mine,” Verstappen said.

“And I think, in general, always being in this kind of position is never nice. But at the other end also, I don’t think he has to feel sorry for himself.

“Sometimes things maybe don’t work out the way you want them in certain stages of your career, but you still have achieved a lot more than anyone could ever dream of in their lives.

“So even if this is, let’s say, the last race or whatever, you can still look back at something amazing that not many people can achieve and do something else maybe in life also. I mean, why not?

“Many more… other race series or not. Maybe just chill back at the farm. Have a lot of fun. I mean, he’s a great guy. So, you know, for me, yeah, it doesn’t really matter or not if you deserve to be here. A lot of people deserve to be here. Some don’t deserve to be here. That’s life also, you know, in all kinds of sports. It’s how it goes.”

With Ricciardo having been regarded as one of the sport’s top drivers during his Red Bull Racing tenure between 2014 and ’18, his star diminished during a troubled spell at McLaren in 2021 and ’22. While having recovered some of his reputation in the years since, Verstappen said it was always going to be difficult for Ricciardo to show strong form with a midfield team.

“It’s, again, very difficult to comment on these things because you cannot look within the team as well, right?” he said.

“I mean, OK, from the outside, maybe people always expect more or wish for more. It’s just very tough in the midfield, I would say, to have a great run of form also. Yeah, I don’t know, it’s just, I guess everyone hopes for more.

“I think also himself, right? You always want to be better, naturally. Every year you want to become a better driver and sometimes that works a bit better than other years.”

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Daniel Ricciardo: I believe I’ll be here for the rest of 2024

Speaking about the speculation to the media on Thursday in Singapore, Ricciardo confirmed that he is expecting a decision related to his future in F1 2025 – and believes that he will remain with VCARB for the rest of the current season.

“Let’s say my first expectation is about next year, so that’s where I’m at at the moment,” he said.

“Obviously, I can’t give too many details, but in terms of contract our dates pretty much come into this window now, so basically I do expect a yes or a no for ’25.

“I’m aware of some talk and speculation about the rest of the season but that, for me, at the moment, I’m unaware of.

“The decision, I expect is for next year, but obviously crazy things have happened in the sport.

“I’m also not going to stand here too boastful and confident [about staying put for the rest of 2024].

“I believe I will be, but let’s obviously see.”

Asked directly if Singapore could prove to be his final F1 appearance, he replied: “I don’t think so, but I also don’t want to stand here and be the lawyer.

“Look, I would say no, but also we know how this sport works. People have not seen through a season before, so it’s nothing new in some ways.

“I don’t want to also be like: ‘Oh no. 100 percent [safe], I’ll bet all my house on it.’ – I’ve been around too long.”