“There would have been no fairytale ending” if the F1 career were over

Daniel Ricciardo admitted that his run to 18th place at the Singapore Grand Prix “may not have had the fairytale ending” if it had been his last Formula One race.

There was much speculation that RB replacement Liam Lawson would drive for the rest of the season, as Ricciardo failed to show any significant improvement in his return to F1 after sitting out half of 2023.

Although Ricciardo remained tight-lipped about his future over the weekend, he was visibly disheartened after a difficult race in which he was the last of the remaining cars on track – albeit with the fastest lap in the bag after making a late third stop and fitting soft tyres.

In conversation with Sky Sports F1Ricciardo said he was “proud” of his 13 years as a Formula One driver, adding that while he paid little attention to the Formula One Driver of the Day award, it meant “a little bit” to him to receive it at what could have been his last Grand Prix.

“I have to admit why I came back after my stint at McLaren. I always said that I didn't want to come back just to be on the grid,” said Ricciardo.

“I wanted to try to get back to the top and come back to Red Bull. Obviously that didn't work out, so I also have to ask myself: 'What else can I achieve? What else is there really to strive for?'

“I did my best. Let's just say that maybe the fairytale ending didn't happen, but I have to look back on the past 13 years and I'm proud.

“Normally, the Driver of the Day award might not be that important to us drivers, but today I can say that I appreciate it. So it does mean a little bit to me.”

Daniel Ricciardo, RB F1 Team VCARB 01

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Ricciardo also said F1 TV that he “had a lot of emotions because I'm aware that it could be that. I think it's also just the exhaustion after the race.”

“There's so much, like a flood of emotions and feelings and exhaustion. And the cockpit is something I've become very used to over many years and I just wanted to savor the moment.”

Commenting on his race, Ricciardo said that after being knocked out in Q1, RB tried something different and started the race on soft tyres, but was unable to make up much ground.

He managed to set a fastest lap at the end of the race, which could prove decisive in his former teammate Max Verstappen's title fight against Lando Norris, with the McLaren driver assured of the bonus point until Ricciardo's final effort.

“After being out of position in qualifying yesterday, we obviously knew we had to try something and that maybe a safety car could come out at the right time.

“From what I understand, overtaking was difficult in this race. Not many people were able to get between the cars. We were aggressive at the beginning with the soft tires and thought that maybe we would get lucky at some point, but, uh, it wasn't meant to be.

“If Max wins by one point, then I’ve just secured myself a nice Christmas present!”