Daniel Ricciardo‘s exit from Visa Cash App RB stirred up quite a fuss, with many saying he deserved a better send-off. Peter Bayer has now shared more details about what went down.
Ricciardo came back to the Red Bull group in 2023, taking over from Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. The plan was for him to become Max Verstappen‘s partner again, but it didn’t pan out that way. Yuki Tsunoda often outperformed him both in qualifying and races. Rumors about Ricciardo’s future swirled around the Singapore Grand Prix, but official news only broke days later.
Bayer explains agreement with Ricciardo
Facing criticism, Bayer explained why Ricciardo left. “We had agreed with Daniel that we would not communicate this,” he told Auto, Motor und Sport. “He believed until the end that he would be up front in qualifying and show everyone. I have never seen the mental strength in an athlete. And I have participated in many sports,” Bayer added.
At the Marina Bay Street Circuit, things went south for Ricciardo during qualifying. He ended up 16th, while Tsunoda made it into the top-10. “It was a terrible moment when he was eliminated in Q1. On the radio you heard that his world had collapsed,” Bayer recalled. They talked to him later at two in the morning, asking how to proceed. Ricciardo decided to just finish the race.
Some fans might think it’s sad how things turned out for him.
Despite the rough goodbye, Bayer mentioned that Ricciardo and Red Bull are still on good terms. “We gave him another chance that nobody thought possible,” he said, ensuring their relationship remains strong.
What do you think about all this?
