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Paddock chatter following the conclusion of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix suggested that Daniel Ricciardo appeared for the last race of his F1 career in Singapore. While there were no concrete reports to support this claim, experts, including Kym Illman, believe it to be true. Fans also reacted to rumors of Ricciardo's departure.
Illman, in his recent Instagram video, stated that Racing Bulls, the team Ricciardo is racing with in 2024, is all set to announce the Australian driver's departure with immediate effect. While he did not announce the replacement, it is likely to be Liam Lawson as per reports.
While Christian Horner shared a mixed response to Ricciardo's exit rumors in the post-Singapore GP race interview, chatter within the paddock hinted that Laurent Mekies and company could announce Lawson as early as Tuesday.
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Ricciardo reportedly left the Marina Bay Circuit paddock last and hugged everyone. Many believe that this was the sign to prove Ricciardo's situation. Fans reacted to this on social media and hit out at Red Bull. One fan wrote on Instagram:
"They really did him dirty with this one, especially after criticizing McLaren many times last year for what they did to him only for them to do worse and never even let him finish the season I'm honestly baffled by this whole situation like what's the point?"
Another fan wished for Ricciardo's longevity in F1:
"I hope he stays in F1 in some capacity, he is good for the sport. The fact that RB keep Perez is a joke."
"RBR does a lot of dirty," wrote another fan.
"Red Bull should have announced it on the weekend giving him the opportunity to have the farewell he deserves," a fan opined.
"I wish they would have atleast announced it so he could have a proper goodbye," a fan wrote.
"He deserves a better treatment. No official announcement, yet everybody seems to know," another fan commented.
Daniel Ricciardo returned to the Red Bull fraternity in 2023 as a reserve driver behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. However, after Red Bull sacked Nyck de Vries in mid-2023, they handed Ricciardo the opportunity to race alongside Yuki Tsunoda in VCARB.
What did Kym Illman claim about Daniel Ricciardo?
Veteran F1 photojournalist and insider Kym Illman recently spoke about Daniel Ricciardo's situation inside the Red Bull fraternity. According to Illman, fans were unhappy about how the Austrian team handled the Honey Badger's situation.
"A lot of people saying Red Bull have done him dirty by not coming clean," Illman said. "And, I guess, letting people know what the situation is well before this situation. And it's going to be a sad day when the official announcement comes."
"And when is that announcement? A lot of us think that it will be early next week. My money is on Tuesday. Definitely, we will be saying goodbye to Daniel, he's saying goodbye to everybody here."
The reports about Liam Lawson replacing Daniel Ricciardo surfaced ahead of the 2024 summer break. However, the Milton Keynes-based team decided to keep the eight-time Grand Prix winner at RB despite the Aussie's poor run of form coming into this season.
