Daniel Ricciardo’s emotional reaction to a difficult 2024 F1 season is revealed in the new season of Drive to Survive – in which the Australian questions his ability to take on the dangers of the sport.
Ricciardo was given a reprieve in F1 at Red Bull after being dropped by McLaren in 2022 and was handed a drive at the sister team RB, for the second half of the 2023 season leading into 2024.
The popular Aussie, a fan favourite on the Netflix docu-series, was eyeing Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull as he looked for a second chance at the team he raced for from 2014-2018.
Yet his performances for RB did not meet the standard required and he was dropped after race 18 of the 2024 season in Singapore, with his replacement Liam Lawson now in Perez’s seat for 2025. The Kiwi will be Max Verstappen’s teammate, billed as the hardest seat in the sport, for the forthcoming season.
Ricciardo, usually a figure of such positivity, was downbeat in the latest seventh season, released last Friday, and admitted he was unsure whether he had the capacity to risk his life for the sport anymore.
Speaking after last year’s British Grand Prix in wet weather, Ricciardo said his experience in the RB car was “terrifying.”
Appearing unusually emotionally, he then added: “I know I should take risks, but I’m also like if I crash that doesn’t do me any favours.
“Silverstone did not go good. In those tricky conditions… I don’t know. I guess I don’t want to admit it – I believe I’m still willing to put it all on the edge.
“I guess maybe I asked the question now, whereas a 22-year-old or a 25-year-old you probably don’t ask the question. Is it worth the risk?”
Lawson, meanwhile, was chomping at the bit to race in F1 again and was recorded telling a Red Bull team member at Silverstone: “I need to drive, I’m going crazy not driving.
“I can’t take this much longer. Just hanging around, watching racing, I’m losing my mind.”
Yet Lawson impressed in the final six races of the 2024 season, triggering Christian Horner to pick him as a replacement for Perez at Red Bull instead of Ricciardo or Yuki Tsunoda.
Eight-time race winner Ricciardo, 35, has now taken an indefinite break from racing, with a return to F1 very unlikely.
The 2025 F1 season starts with the Australian Grand Prix next week on 16 March.
