Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career came to an end in 2024 after a difficult season with VCARB (now Racing Bulls). Although he managed to score a few points, his performances were not strong enough to secure his future. After the Singapore Grand Prix, the team decided to drop him, bringing his return to the sport to a quiet and rather sudden close.

At the time, it seemed like a disappointing ending for one of the sport’s most popular drivers. However, speaking later in a video released by Ford, Ricciardo admitted the situation was not as negative as it looked. “I lasted another year in F1 and then ultimately got let go,” he said. “That was the reality at the time.” His comeback had also been affected by injury the year before, when he broke his hand and missed several races, which made it even harder to rebuild momentum.

Earlier in his career, Ricciardo had been seen as one of Formula 1’s brightest talents. After making his debut in 2011, he earned a move to Red Bull Racing, where he enjoyed the most successful period of his career. In 2014, he shocked many by outperforming four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, winning three races and finishing third in the championship. At that stage, he looked like a future title contender.

He later raced alongside Max Verstappen before deciding to leave Red Bull in search of a new challenge. Moves to Renault F1 Team and then McLaren brought mixed results. While he claimed a memorable victory at Monza in 2021, he struggled to consistently match his team-mates, and his time at McLaren ended earlier than expected.

Looking back on his final years in Formula 1, Ricciardo admitted the experience had taken a lot out of him. “Once that happened, I’d been let go twice in the last two years. It had also taken a lot out of me. I’d put a lot of my soul into it and I did feel pretty exhausted by it,” he said.

Because of that, he now believes the team’s decision in 2024 actually helped him. “In reflection, I was grateful that they made the decision for me,” he explained. “I think it would have been hard to say: ‘I’m done.’”

Ricciardo also openly accepted that he was no longer performing at his peak level. “I think I knew I was probably done because I knew that it was harder for me to perform at the level I could,” he said. “For whatever reason, I lost a little bit of something and it’s okay to admit it.”

Even though people around him continued to support him, he felt the final decision had to come from within. “There’s people that love you and will still tell you that you’re great and you can do it,” he said. “But you need to be really honest with yourself.”