Formula 1 fans are unanimous that Daniel Ricciardo deserved a proper send off after his last race with Visa Cash App RB last month in Singapore, a situation the team itself now admits it could have handled better.
The F1 veteran, an eight-time F1 race winner and one of the most popular drivers in the paddock, was replaced by Liam Lawson after the race at Marina Bay as Red Bull sought to evaluate the Kiwi as part of its 2025 driver options.
It later came to light that the decision to part ways with Ricciardo had been made well in advance of the race weekend by Red Bull, with neither the team nor the Australian driver confirming the news publicly at Marina Bay, leaving fans unaware that it would be Ricciardo’s final F1 appearance.
Once the news broke, just days after the event, it led to a backlash among the fan community but also among members of the F1 paddock who felt that Ricciardo deserved a proper send-off given his contributions to the sport.
Reflecting on the situation in Austin this weekend, Mekies admitted that the team could have approached things differently.
“Yes, it was frustrating, and yes, it was not ideal to go through the weekend in that way,” the RB team boss admitted. “That is first of all for him, on a professional and on a personal matter, and for the whole team around him.”
Mekies explained that discussions took place between the team and Ricciardo before the Singapore weekend about whether or not to announce his departure beforehand. Ultimately, all parties agreed to keep the news under wraps.
“Daniel was aware,” he added. “We did have discussions before the weekend. For many different reasons, we chose together to go into that weekend without announcing. And from that point onwards, we had to deal with it.
“It's a decision that, in hindsight, we may or may not do differently. But it's something that we were, both the team and the drivers, on board to go through that now.”
Chiming in on the topic ahead of this weekend’s US Grand Prix, Max Verstappen agreed that his friend and former Red Bull teammate deserved “a nicer exit”.
“Yeah, I mean, I think it was quite clear for me, for Daniel, that that was the last race,” the three-time world champion told the media. “And yeah, from my side, I think it could have been handled a bit differently.
“Also for him, because he knew it, but if you can’t say it exactly, it’s a bit of a shame, you know.
“He’s done a lot for F1, he’s won races, he has had incredible races, and yeah, I think he deserved a nicer, let’s say, exit.”
While the lack of a public farewell for F1’s Honey Badger drew criticism, Mekies emphasized that Ricciardo still felt the overwhelming support and affection from fans and the F1 community during his swansong Singapore weekend.
“I think in one way or another, we all found a way to express how much love there is from the sport to Daniel, from the fans to Daniel,” said the Frenchman.
“I don't know if it would have been better or worse [to announce it], certainly different, more traditional, but I can hopefully say that the amount of love and empathy we felt through that weekend was something outstanding and something that shows that he's bigger than an F1 driver, he's bigger than F1.”
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