Until the very last moment, Daniel Ricciardo held on to the hope that a strong performance in Singapore could turn his fate around and save his seat with Visa Cash App RB, according to the team’s CEO Peter Bayer.
In the days following last September’s Singapore Grand Prix, Visa Cash App RB faced sharp criticism from fans for what many viewed as Ricciardo's abrupt and unceremonious dismissal.
Yet, as Bayer has revealed, it was actually Ricciardo himself who requested that his exit not be announced during the race weekend at Marina Bay.
While the decision to end his contract had already been made before Singapore, Ricciardo was determined to avoid any public scrutiny that might disrupt his focus or cast a shadow over his final race.
“We had agreed with Daniel that we would not communicate it,” Bayer said in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport.
“We knew that we would look a bit outdated as a team. But we also did it to protect the driver. It was his wish.”
Despite knowing his future had already been decided, Ricciardo clung fiercely to hope. Even as whispers around the paddock grew louder, the eight-time Grand Prix winner held on to a flicker of optimism.
Singapore’s Marina Bay street circuit, with its challenging corners and unforgiving walls, offered Ricciardo one last chance to prove he was still the man for the job.
Bayer admits that he was taken aback by the Australian driver’s determination.
“He believed right to the end that he would finish at the front in qualifying and show everyone,” Bayer said. “I’ve never seen such mental strength in an athlete. And I’ve been in a lot of sports.”
©RB
But that iron will wasn’t enough. In the humid, neon-lit night of Singapore, Ricciardo faced a moment he had long dreaded yet stubbornly refused to believe would ever come.
In a crushing blow, Ricciardo found himself among the five drivers eliminated at the end of Qualifying 1 – a moment that sealed his fate, permanently.
“It was a terrible moment when he exited in Q1,” Bayer admitted. “You could already hear on the radio that his world had collapsed.
“We then spoke to him again on Saturday. We sat together in our office at two o’clock in the morning and asked him what we should do now.
“He then told us that we should just let him drive the race. He just didn’t want any nonsense.”
For Ricciardo, there would be no fairytale last hour redeeming. In the race, he found himself languishing far from the points, battling to keep a steady but unremarkable pace.
In the closing laps, RB decided to pit him for a fresh set of soft tyres, a small yet symbolic gesture. It gave Ricciardo the chance to push hard one last time and set the fastest lap of the race on his final tour in Formula 1. It was a fleeting small victory, a final expression of his undying competitiveness.
When the chequered flag fell, Ricciardo didn’t jump out of his car immediately after parking in parc fermé. He sat there for a moment, still and contemplative.
In that instant, he seemed to absorb everything – the good, the bad, the triumphs, and the heartbreaks. Stepping out at last, he was met with a touching tribute.
The entire RB team, dressed in his colors, formed a guard of honor, clapping as he walked back to the hospitality suite, where his journey had begun years before.
However, the circumstances surrounding his departure left a bittersweet taste.
Bayer acknowledged the team's decision to prioritize their future plans, replacing Ricciardo with Liam Lawson.
While the move was necessary for the team's long-term strategy, it inevitably overshadowed the farewell that the Aussie deserved.
“As a team, we put ourselves in front of him,” Bayer reflected.
“If Daniel had driven all the way to Abu Dhabi, then of course we would have celebrated his farewell with fireworks and a photo on the grid, just like [Kimi] Räikkönen back then.
“That’s what everyone would have wanted.”
It wasn’t the grand farewell he might have dreamed of, yet it was personal and sincere – a parting salute to the smiling Aussie who’d given everything to his career, right to the very end.
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