In a surprising move, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (VCARB), or simply RB, has announced the immediate termination of Daniel Ricciardo’s contract. The decision was made after a season full of challenges for the Australian driver, who struggled to keep pace with his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda and was not proving a consistent driver. Despite his reputation as one of the most charismatic and talented drivers on the grid, Ricciardo’s performance issues have led to his mid-season replacement by the young and promising Liam Lawson.
VCARB team principal Laurent Mekies, expressed his gratitude for Ricciardo’s contributions.
“Daniel has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and never without that smile,” said Mekies
However, the abrupt nature of the announcement has sparked criticism from fans and analysts alike. Michael Lamonato, the host of the Pit Talk podcast labeling RBs handling of the situation as “shambolic”.
This sudden replacement comes less than three Grands Prix after the Williams Racing driver Logan Sargeant was dismissed in the same fashion. Sargeants performance had been incredibly underwhelming since the beginning of his F1 career in 2023. He was replaced by Argentinian Formula 2 driver, Franco Colapatino. In only three races, Colapatino has managed to score four points for Williams.
Sargeant was not even close to the skill level boasted by Riccardo. In Sargeants grand total of 36 starts, only scored a single point. However, Sargeant does hold a record. During the 2023 season, he managed to rack up nearly four million dollars in damages from crashes, more than any other driver that season.
Though Riccardo faced performance issues, they were not comparable to Sargeant’s struggles. His experience and fan appeal were a major asset to RB.
On his podcast, Lamanto said “We’re talking about an eight-time grand prix winner. Seven of those wins came with Red Bull Racing, during what we sometimes forget was a pretty fallow inter-title era for Red Bull. In that time he comfortably made himself one of the biggest stars in the sport — that was before Drive to Survive.”
Drive to Survive is a multi-season Netflix docudrama centering around the ‘behind the scenes’ of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Riccardo is considered the “face of the show”, having more appearances than any other driver. The show began in 2018, when Riccardo still drove for Red Bull.
Lamanto said [that] “He was one of the first Formula 1 drivers to really crack the United States, which is remarkable considering the sport’s history there before Drive to Survive…Netflix then cemented him as, for want of a better phrase, an F1 main character. He is one of the guys.”

It isn’t just the removal of him from the team isn’t what has fans frustrated with RB. Most drivers of Riccardo’s prowess receive much more recognition from their teams and other drivers. For example, when Sebastian Vettel retired in 2022, all 20 drivers set aside their differences and gathered for a commemorative dinner.
In addition, teams are usually more supportive of their driver’s once they retire. He also received thanks from every team he drove for, notably Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin.
Riccardo was ousted by VCARB in a very melodramatic, almost clandestine fashion, the news was broken by a series of commemorative social media posts from official Formula 1 and Oracle Red Bull Racing’s accounts. VCARB only made one social media announcement, and then moved on to post six different ‘welcome posts’ for Liam Lawson to their Instagram account, as well as posts on other platforms.
Fans are also frustrated with the fact that RB removed Riccardo in the middle of the season, even if they believed he did deserve to lose the seat.
According to a poll from racingnews365.com, 39 percent of fans believe that Riccardo did deserve to lose his seat, but at the end of the season, but only 21 percent believed that they were right to remove him in the middle of the season.
Overall, Riccardo’s dismissal was not something that was taken well by fans and analysts alike. However, it will be interesting to see how Lawson performs in comparison to Riccardo, especially after seeing how Colapatino performed in the Williams after Sergeant’s dismissal. It’s moments like these that highlight the harsh realities of Formula 1, where performance is paramount.
There is still a little bit of potential hope for Riccardo on the horizon. There is only one seat for 2025 left, that being with the incredibly underwhelming Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, commonly known as Stake or Sauber.
Riccardo may be a contender for the seat, but amid speculation about Red Bull’s Sergio Perez’s potential retirement announcement, Riccardo may be set on making a return.
Despite the abrupt end to his career in F1, Ricciardo’s legacy as a talented and influential driver remains intact, and his contributions to the sport will not be forgotten.