Revealed: Daniel Ricciardo’s final team radio message after ‘last F1 race’ in Singapore

Daniel Ricciardo is set to be dropped by Red Bull VCARB ahead of the United States Grand Prix

Footage has emerged of Daniel Ricciardo’s final team radio message to the Red Bull VCARB team at the end of his ‘last race’ at the Singapore Grand Prix.

And the under-pressure Australian made no reference to the uncertainty surrounding his F1 future, simply offering his thanks to the Red Bull junior outfit.

Daniel Ricciardo’s final team radio messages surfaces after emotional Singapore GP

The Singapore Grand Prix is likely to prove Ricciardo‘s last F1 appearance, with the 35-year-old set to be replaced by Liam Lawson, the highly rated Red Bull reserve driver, ahead of next month’s United States GP in Austin, Texas.

Ricciardo cut an emotional figure at the end of the race at the Marina Bay street circuit, where he was treated to a guard of honour by VCARB staff as he returned to the team’s hospitality unit in the paddock.

That came after Ricciardo pitted for fresh tyres in the closing laps to set the fastest lap of the race, taking the bonus point away from race winner Lando Norris, the McLaren driver, who trails Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the reigning World Champion, by 52 points with six races of the F1 2024 season remaining.

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It proved a controversial moment given the shared ownership between VCARB and Red Bull, with McLaren team principal Andrea Stella frustrated by Ricciardo’s fastest lap and stressing that F1 teams should “behave in a totally autonomous manner” as well as airing fears of a “coalition championship.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner, meanwhile, denied there was any direct influence from his team on Ricciardo’s late stop for soft tyres, claiming “Daniel obviously wanted to finish the race on a high.”

In a brief exchange over team radio at the chequered flag, race engineer Pierre Hamelin confirmed his driver had taken the fastest lap, which was met with a muted response by Ricciardo, who scooped the fan-voted Driver of the Day award despite finishing as the last of the classified runners in 18th place following his extra pit stop.

The full conversation went as follows:

Hamelin: “OK, obviously, we tried. And you’ve got the fastest lap, so we’ve done all the right things there.”

Ricciardo: “Understood. Yup. Alright. Thank you, guys. Thank you.”

According to Kym Illman, the prominent F1 photographer on site in Singapore, Ricciardo sat in his car “for some time, soaking up what he knew was his last race” after pulling up in parc ferme at the end of the race.

Ricciardo is understood to have been the last driver to exit the circuit after the race, with Illman left with the impression that “Daniel just didn’t want to leave” the paddock for the final time.

The Perth-born driver has largely disappointed since returning to F1 with VCARB (then AlphaTauri) in July 2023 following a short spell as Red Bull’s reserve driver after being dropped by McLaren at the end of the 2022 season.

Ricciardo has scored points just four times in 26 starts for the Faenza-based team, finishing no higher than the seventh-place finish he achieved at last season’s Mexican Grand Prix.

He also finished fourth in the sprint race in Miami earlier this season.

Speaking after the race, Ricciardo conceded that he can no longer keep up with the new breed of talent, with advances in technology – including the rise of driver-in-the-loop simulators – allowing youngsters to be better prepared to race in the modern era of F1.

He explained: “I’m 35 and I still showed the pace that I’ve had over the years, but it’s obviously been evident that it’s been harder for me to show it every weekend.

“And maybe that is a little bit of an age thing.

“I think it definitely came easier for me when I was 25 as opposed to 35, but also maybe the competition is just increasing.

“I think that’s probably a common thing with all sports: simulators are getting better, the kids are getting younger, so naturally they’re [more prepared].

“And they have access to all the onboards now, so they can watch and study everyone.

“So maybe it’s just that the level’s increased and it’s probably a tall task for me to fight at that level week in, week out.

“I can’t be disappointed with that. I’m happy that, once upon a time, I could do it and that was a lot of fun.

“And if this is it, I want to make sure I walk away or leave the sport with good memories of it and it doesn’t get into that place where it’s just a grind and I’m out in Q1 every weekend.

“That’s obviously not fun.”

Ricciardo enjoyed the best days of his F1 career with Red Bull between 2014 and 2018, when he collected all but one of his eight career victories, before short spells with Renault (now Alpine) and McLaren.

With Lawson’s promotion to a permanent seat expected to be announced in due course, Ricciardo is set to exit F1 with an overall record of eight wins, 32 podium finishes, three pole positions and 17 fastest laps from 257 starts.

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