25/09/2024
NEWS STORY
As he prepares for the curtain to be brought down on his F1 career, while insisting he has no regrets, Daniel Ricciardo takes comfort from final accolade from the fans.
Despite a lights to flag victory that further closed the gap to Max Verstappen, it wasn't Lando Norris that was voted 'driver of the day' on the official F1 website, but Daniel Ricciardo.
Normally one would cry that, like most polls, it was fixed, but if all the speculation proves true Sunday was the popular Australian's final F1 race.
Other than winning the popular vote, having claimed the fastest lap of the race, thereby depriving Norris of what could be a crucial championship point, Ricciardo helped his former team and teammate in their battle with the Briton and McLaren.
Aware of the fact that this might have been his final race, Sky Sports went in with all the sensitivity one has come to expect, Simon Lazenby being the sort of broadcaster who would ask the owner of a Derby winner, 'but what do you do with all the horse shit?'
At race end, while others were keen to extract themselves from the sauna-like conditions of their cockpits as quickly as possible, the Australian lingered just a little bit longer.
"The cockpit is something that I got very used to for many years," he subsequently told reporters. "I just wanted to savour the moment."
While RB hasn't officially said anything about him being dropped yet, Liam Lawson's presence throughout the weekend was obvious.
Asked whether he will be in the car at the Circuit of the Americas, Ricciardo admitted: "There is a realistic chance it's not going to happen.
"It's been a very race-by-race situation with Red Bull, I think for all of us in a way,," he continued, "obviously Checo as well," he added. "At times it feels like it's going one way, then it goes the other."
Indeed both drivers went into the summer break fearing the worst but both were given a reprieve. However, neither appears to have taken full opportunity and in the Mexican's case it is unlikely he will be retained for Red Bull for next season. While Ricciardo finished 18th after qualifying 16th, Perez finished tenth after qualifying thirteenth, hardly the support his team needs in its battle with McLaren for the constructors' title.
"There was a lot of emphasis on this weekend," Ricciardo admitted. "I would have loved a better weekend and who knows if that would have changed anything, or if the decision's been made already prior to the weekend."
Asked if he fears his F1 career is over, Ricciardo replied: "I'm obviously prepared for it. That's why, over the weekend, I tried to acknowledge a few things as well with myself, acknowledge also why I came back into the sport.
"I always said I don't want to be a guy who's just here on the grid and fighting for a point every now and then, which has kind of been how this year's gone. The purpose was to try and do good enough to get back into Red Bull and fight for wins again, see if I've still got it. I felt like I came up short with that."
In a move that has angered Zak Brown - what doesn't you might well ask - Ricciardo claimed the fastest lap of the race, thereby depriving Norris of the point and aiding his former teammate and former team.
"At the end we were there, not really in any position, so we tried to go for fastest lap and I guess it helped maybe Max out by Abu Dhabi," said the Australian. "Maybe there's a Christmas present coming if he wins by a point!," he laughed.
"I heard something about $3.5m bonus for fastest lap," he added, "Red Bull was throwing some crazy numbers around.
"Look, I tried obviously to enjoy it, a little bit like the end of '22 at McLaren, obviously I was aware maybe that was my last race, so I tried to enjoy that.
"I think I'm in a much happier place in the sport now than I was then. If this was it, then let's say I have a little bit more peace. I'm proud of the career; I tried to become world champion, I tried to become the best at something in the world.
"I think it is a tall ask that we ask from ourselves. Some achieve it, some don't. In the end, if I came up a little short, I also can't be too hard on myself. I'm happy with the effort I put in and for that there's no sadness or feeling of regret for what could have been."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Marina Bay here.