19/10/2024
NEWS STORY
Admitting his frustration at the way in which Daniel Ricciardo's final race was handled, RB boss, Lauren Mekies says the Australian is "bigger than F1".
It was indeed an uncomfortable weekend, for in much the same way that you know that you have an appointment with the veterinarian next morning for your terminally ill pet, it was clear that Ricciardo was making what might well be his final appearance on the F1 grid. Adding to the feeling of being part of a conspiracy were the shots of his replacement Liam Lawson, who subsequently admitted his unease at the situation.
Understandably, RB has come in for criticism of the way in which the matter was handled, a situation made worse by the fact that the Australian was used to deprive Lando Norris of the point for fastest race lap.
"It was frustrating," admitted Mekies. "It was not ideal to go through the weekend in that way. First of all, for him on a professional and on a personal matter, and for the whole team around him.
"Daniel was aware," he replied when asked if Ricciardo was fully aware it was his final race. "We did have discussions before the weekend. But for many different reasons, we chose together to go into that weekend without announcing. From that point on, we had to deal with it.
"It's a decision that, in hindsight, we may or may not do differently," he admitted, "but it's something that we were, both the team and the drivers, were on board to go through that."
Nonetheless, Mekies is adamant that Ricciardo left Singapore fully aware of the respect in which the sport holds him.
"We all found a way to express how much love there is from the sport to Daniel, from the fans to Daniel," said the Frenchman. "I don't know if it would have been better or worse, certainly different, more traditional," he replied when asked if it would have been better to formally announce the Australian's 'departure' in Singapore, rather than waiting a few more days.
"But I can hopefully say that the amount of love and empathy we felt through that weekend was something outstanding, and something that shows that he is bigger than an F1 driver, he's bigger than F1."
Though organisers invited Ricciardo to the event, fully aware of his popularity, the Australian declined, social media posts revealing that he is currently hanging out with friends and sporting a cap emblazoned with the word 'retired' on the front.
Of course, some might argue that Ricciardo's mistake was to put the amount a team was willing to pay him before what its actual prospects were, the move to Renault being a good example. Similarly, one wonders if Red Bull is putting the amount of sponsorship money Sergio Perez brings to the team ahead of his prospects on track.