Daniel Riccardo’s F1 exit has been far from the fairytale ending that many fans wanted it to be. If we jog down memory lane, he was dropped from the Red Bull squad immediately after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix. Then this eight-time Grand Prix winner just seemed to disappear into the abyss, avoiding media, broadcasts, and even the sport that once was his all.

Speaking on the Speed Street podcast, Ricciardo admitted just how painful the ending became. “At the end of my career, I ultimately hurt, and I didn’t know how I felt towards the sport,” he confessed. “You’re like, ‘What do I do? Do I need to remove myself?’ It was just weird. So I didn’t follow for a bit.”

However, the deeper revelation was witnessed when Riccardo revealed how racing broke him down. “Racing, as beautiful as it is, man, it can also rip your heart out,” he admitted. “There’s a lot of heartbreak with it. I think sometimes you do question, ‘Why do I love this sport?’”

He then went on to add the line that showcased to fans what he was going through when Red Bull let him go: “At the end of my career, I was like, ‘Why do I love it,’ and I just wanted to remove myself for a bit.”

When asked about whether he still watched races, Riccardo added, “I watch, but I’m not stopping my day for it,” he explained. “Luckily, I do have other interests and things to do, so my world doesn’t stop for it anymore.”

The reality of an F1 seat is extremely brutal. Even if you have secured it, it can easily be snatched away, leaving drivers clueless about where to go. And that’s exactly the story for many.

The ruthless driver carousel behind modern Formula 1

Modern F1 has become very unforgiving towards its drivers, especially those in a Red Bull seat.

Take, for example, Pierre Gasly, who lost his Red Bull seat after a mere 12 races in 2019 despite the fact that he was sixth in the championship with 64 points. His teammate Max Verstappen was at 181 points, but just as the Hungarian Grand Prix ended, Gasly’s seat was taken from him.

Who was he replaced by? Well, Alex Albon, who was promoted mid-rookie season after only 12 F1 races himself. Albon did well, scoring podiums and finishing seventh in 2020, yet still he was scrapped after just a season and a half.

This gets even weirder when you consider the case of Nyck de Vries. The Formula E world champion was dropped by AlphaTauri after only 10 races in 2023 without scoring a single point. Daniel Ricciardo replaced him immediately before Hungary.

This pressure within Red Bull has gotten so intense now that fans refer to this seat within the team as a “curse,” with no security guaranteed, and in recent years, the only antidote to this curse has been the Dutch fury, Max Verstappen.

Read more at Motor Culture!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason