"It’s hard not to think of Daniel Ricciardo as one of the best drivers F1 has ever had": GQ releases statement after the Aussie's exit from Red Bull

Men's fashion giant magazine, GQ, paid tribute to the former Visa Cash App RB F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo after the latter was officially let go by the Faenza-based outfit on Thursday, September 26. The Aussie was one of the most popular drivers on the F1 grid, charming the fans with his friendly and fun personality on and off the track.

The 35-year-old returned to the grid in Hungary in 2023 replacing Nyck De Vries after a six-month hiatus from the sport, where he served as Red Bull's reserve driver for the first half of the season. Ricciardo got the drive at the sister team after he impressed the Red Bull hierarchy with his performance in the Silverstone test ahead of the race in Budapest.

But he was unable to make his way back to the Milton Keynes outfit in a full-time role, and had an inconsistent 18 races with RB in the 2024 season. On their social media platform, GQ Australia paid tribute to Daniel Ricciardo on their Instagram post and seemingly took a dig at the Austrian team for the way they delivered the news of the driver's exit:

"Say what you will about #DanielRicciardo’s recent performances, but when you assess the breadth of his career, it’s hard not to think of him as one of the best drivers #F1 has ever had. 1,329 points, eight Grands Prix wins, and 32 podiums—the sport may be a game of musical chairs, but the Aussie driver managed to occupy a seat for 14 seasons. It why you'd expect #RedBull, the team with which he spent the peak of his career, to have handled his departure—from RB, and from F1—better," the statement read.

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Daniel Ricciardo talks about the possibility of a career in other racing categories

Daniel Ricciardo recently said he was not confident he would be 'awesome' in other racing categories apart from F1, and added that he was 'scared' of racing in IndyCar. Speaking with Racer recently, the Australian said:

“IndyCar still scares me! I mean, I’ve thought about it because I also thought about it a couple of years ago when I knew that I wasn’t going to start the ’23 season. I don’t know. I know I’m still a competitor. I know I still have a lot of fire in me.

"No guarantee I’ll be awesome doing something else. Is that actually going to scratch the itch and give me what I want? I don’t know. I’d probably say more no than yes."

Daniel Ricciardo finished his stint with RB with 12 points to his name this year after 18 races and three Sprints. He would be replaced by Liam Lawson, who got the nod ahead of him for the remainder of the season.

Despite rumors that claim otherwise, it looks unlikely that the eight-time race winner would return to the grid next year. The only seat remaining, Kick Sauber, is expected to go to Valtteri Bottas.