15/11/2024
NEWS STORY
RB CEO, Peter Bayer has revealed that Daniel Ricciardo's fate hung in the balance until his failure to make it beyond Q1 in Singapore.
While the writing was clearly all over the wall, and Liam Lawson hovering over his shoulder like the grim reaper, the Australian believed he might still, with the right result, save his drive, at least until season end in Abu Dhabi.
While Friday was a "really good day" for the Australian, come qualifying he struggled with the softs and failed to make it out of Q1, while teammate Yuki Tsunoda put his car 8th on the grid.
"It was a terrible moment when he exited in Q1," Bayer tells Auto Motor und Sport. "You could already hear on the radio that his world had collapsed."
The team was widely criticised for failing to confirm that it was Ricciardo's final appearance, not allowing him to 'celebrate' his departure with the fans, but Bayer insists that this was the Australian's choice.
"We sat together in our office at two o'clock in the morning and asked him what we should do. He told us that we should just let him drive the race. He just didn't want any nonsense.
"We had agreed with Daniel that we would not communicate it," he adds. "We knew that we would look a bit outdated as a team. But we also did it to protect the driver. It was his wish.
"He believed right to the end that he would finish at the front in qualifying and show everyone," says Bayer. "I've never seen such mental strength in an athlete. And I've been in a lot of sports."
To add salt to his wounds, Ricciardo effectively finished the race last, a lap down on former teammate Lando Norris.
Aware that it was probably his final outing in an F1 car, at race end Ricciardo sat in his car for a few minutes before heading back to the team's hospitality suite where he was greeted by a guard of honour and given a standing ovation.
"As a team, we put ourselves in front of him," insists Bayer. "If Daniel had driven all the way to Abu Dhabi, then of course we would have celebrated his farewell with fireworks and a photo on the grid, just like Raikkonen back then. That's what everyone would have wanted."