Red Bull Racing

DANIEL RICCIARDO has been brutally SACKED by Formula One team Visa Cash App RB with immediate effect.The F1 fan favourite broke down in tears following the Singapore Grand Prix with news of his imminent axing gaining speed.Daniel Ricciardo has been sacked by F1 team RBCredit: GettyRicciardo won eight F1 races throughout his career, becoming famous for his “shoey” celebrationCredit: AFP or licensorsAnd now Ricciardo’s exit from the motorsport for a second time has been confirmed.The team released a statement wishing the Australian, nicknamed the “Honeybadger”, farewell.RB’s team principal Laurent Mekies, said: “Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us.”Daniel has been a true gentlemen both on and off the track and never without that smile.READ MORE IN F1″He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family.”Ricciardo, 35, returned to F1 with AlphaTauri, now RB, in Hungary last year, scoring points on five occasions.Earlier this season there was talk of Ricciardo replacing Sergio Perez as the second driver at Red Bull’s main team to partner Max Verstappen.Though after that fell through, Ricciardo’s form has not been good enough to persuade Red Bull bosses to keep him in the seat for the rest of the season.Most read in MotorsportBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSHe finished dead last of the runners who did not retire in his final race in Singapore on Sunday.However, he did snatch the fastest lap of the race away from McLaren’s Lando Norris to prevent him from gaining an extra point – sparking a cheating row from McLaren chief Zak Brown.F1 Driver Salaries in 2024: How Much Do They Make? Reacting to his exit on Instagram, Ricciardo said: “I’ve loved this sport my whole life. It’s wild and wonderful and been a journey.”To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you.”To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me haha thank you. “It’ll always have its highs and lows but it’s been fun and truth be told I wouldn’t change it.”Until the next adventure.”F1 2025 gridHere are the confirmed driver line ups for the F1 2025 season so far:Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio PerezFerrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis HamiltonMercedes: George Russell and Kimi AntonelliMcLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar PiastriAston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance StrollWilliams: Alex Albon and Carlos SainzSauber: Nico Hulkenberg and TBCAlpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack DoohanRB: Yuki Tsunoda and TBCHaas: Ollie Bearman and Esteban OconRB have wasted no time in announcing Ricciardo’s replacement on the F1 grid.New Zealand driver Liam Lawson, who made his debut with the team last season in replacing an injured Ricciardo, will take the seat for the remainder of the 2024 season alongside Yuki Tsunoda.Mekies said: “I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the Team well. “He drove for us last season, and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it’ll be a natural transition. “It’s great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. Ricciardo’s F1 career timeline2011 – Ricciardo made his F1 Grand Prix debut at Silverstone with Hispania before driving 10 races with HRT.2012 – Ricciardo joined Toro Rosso for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.2014 – Ricciardo joined Red Bull to partner Sebastian Vettel. He won his first race at the Canadian GP and took three wins and eight podiums that season to finish third in the Championship standings.2018 – He remained at Red Bull until 2018, when tensions with teenager Max Verstappen were at their peak. Halfway through the season, he announced he was joining Renault for the 2019 season.2019 and 2020 – Ricciardo struggled to progress with Renault following his departure from Red Bull.2021 – He joined McLaren for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, where he would earn his final career win with a dramatic victory at the Italian GP in 2021.2022 – McLaren unceremoniously announced they had agreed to cancel Ricciardo’s contract a year early. He remained for the rest of the season before he was left without a seat for 2023.2023 – Ricciardo was named as Red Bull’s reserve driver before he replaced Nyck De Vries at AlphaTauri in July.2024 – Ricciardo was axed by RB following the Singapore GP.”We’re looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together.”It is unclear what the future now holds for the eight-time race winner – with wins becoming synonymous with his “shoey” celebration – though a seat on the 2025 grid appears unlikely.Lawson, 22, is expected to be named for that seat later this season.It means the only vacant seat left on the grid is at Sauber alongside Nico Hulkenberg – whom Ricciardo partnered at Renault.However, it is expected that former Mercedes star Valtteri Bottas will retain his seat and drive for the team again next season.READ MORE SUN STORIESF1’s next race is not until the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on October 20.Ricciardo leaves the championship sitting 14th in the standings with 12 points to his name.🏁 Complete F1 2024 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix and start time this year 🏁 More

RED BULL’S relationship with junior team RB “needs to be addressed”, says McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.It comes after RB driver Daniel Ricciardo denied Lando Norris an extra point for the fastest lap of the race at the Singapore Grand Prix.Daniel Ricciard pitted to change to soft tyres and go for the fastest lap time at the Singapore Grand PrixRicciardo drives for Red Bull B team Visa Cash App RBAfter recording the fastest lap he took a point away from Lando Norris who had it going into the final stages of the raceF1 championships can be lost and won with a single point.Norris reduced Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship to 52 points by winning in Singapore.But the margin looked set to be one less when the Brit set the fastest time in lap 48 going into the final stages of the race.Before Ricciardo, who was sitting at the back of the field and drives for Red Bull’s junior RB team, pitted to go for the fastest lap time on soft tyres.READ MORE IN SPORTThe former McLaren driver went almost half a second quicker than old team-mate Norris’ best effort on his final lap.As he was sitting outside the top 10, Ricciardo’s team knew he wouldn’t get any points for the fastest lap.But it would take one away championship contender Norris and subsequently help a Red Bull stablemate.Stella said he didn’t have the “elements” to prove Ricciardo’s effort was motivated by a desire to aid senior driver Verstappen’s title bid.Most read in MotorsportBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSHe said: “As soon as you invoke the sportsmanship, I think you need to approach this with a sense of responsibility that I want to have.”I don’t know the facts, I just saw that Racing Bulls went for the fastest lap and they achieved it. I just find it a little peculiar.F1 legend chokes up and breaks down in tears after Singapore Grand Prix and could be replaced before next race”But for me, talk about sportsmanship and so on, I think it would be out of place. “And potentially as part of a longer-term conversation, we need to put the sport in a position where, whether it’s trackside or factory side, teams behave in a totally autonomous manner. “Because this is a Constructors’ Championship, a Drivers’ Championship, it’s not a coalition championship. “Therefore, this needs to be definitely addressed.”Ricciardo lost his place on the grid and re-signed with Red Bull as a reserveRed Bull boss Christian Horner downplayed the allegationsRed Bull boss Christian Horner didn’t want to hear anything about a tactical collaboration.Horner said: “Ricciardo obviously wanted to end the race on a high note.”Before later admitting: “But it was valuable for us because it takes a point away from Lando.”Ricciardo revealed that the idea to go for the fastest lap came from his race engineer Pierre Hamelin.He told Sky Sports: “I don’t mean this against Lando, but part of me is hoping Max wins by one point because I think I guaranteed myself a nice Christmas present, if so.”I think, obviously, it’s with a little bit of Red Bull in mind, but maybe just to have one last crack at doing a fast one, if it is to be it.”The incident occurred in what many expect to be Ricciardo’s final F1 race.The Australian is expected to lose his seat to Liam Lawson before next month’s Austin Grand Prix.READ MORE SUN STORIESIn RB’s press release following the race, team principal Laurent Mekies said: “Given this may have been Daniel’s last race, we wanted to give him the chance to savour it and go out with the fastest lap.”Racing Bulls or ‘RB’ is one of two F1 constructors owned by Austrian conglomerate Red Bull GmbH, the other being Red Bull Racing. More

MAX VERSTAPPEN took a vow of silence after being hit with Formula One’s ‘community service’ punishment for swearing in a press conference.The Dutchman all but refused to answer questions in yesterday’s press conference after securing second-place in qualifying behind Lando Norris.Max Verstappen remained silent about his swearing row in a press conference🏁 Complete F1 2024 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix and start time this year 🏁He answered one question with “no comment” and told reporters “I would prefer if you ask these questions outside of the room”.Third-place Lewis Hamilton and Norris have rallied around the Red Bull driver with the seven-time world champion slamming the “joke” punishment.Hamilton said: “I honestly think it’s a joke. This is the pinnacle of the sport, mistakes are made.“I certainly wouldn’t do that (serve the punishment) and I hope Max doesn’t either.”Read more F1 newsFollowing the press conference, Verstappen was true to his word and met with the media outside of the press conference room to answer questions.On Friday the Dutchman was sent to stewards after he said his car was “f***ed” in the press conference.Yesterday the fuming Belgian-born driver said: “It’s ridiculous to get a penalty for that.“When you insult someone that’s clear. I didn’t even aim it at a person, it was a slip of the tongue moment.Most read in Motorsport Inside ‘magic’ F1 McClaren innovation that has flung team ahead of Red Bull but fans are calling it ‘illegal'”I actually had a chat with the stewards, they’re understanding. It’s in the rules so they have to apply something but for me it’s not the right way to go forward in our sport.”Norris joked: “He deserved it , foul language! No, it’s pretty unfair. I don’t agree with any of it.”Norris and Verstappen will battle it out at the front of the grid tomorrow with the McLaren driver trailing his title-rival by 59 points in the championship.Q3 all came down to one lap due to a crash from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz at the final corner, with only two drivers having set a time on the board.Norris produced a blistering lap in the final showdown after McLaren chose to leave the pit lane first to avoid the risk of a yellow or red flag.Hamilton had struggled throughout practice but pipped team-mate George Russell to third.Oscar Piastri will start from fifth, with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso behind him.Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was initially seventh but had his lap deleted due to a track limits excursion, and will start in ninth alongside Sainz in 10th.Norris said: “It was tough, especially through qualifying. I was finding it a little difficult to progress much and gain a lot of lap time,”All of the guys around seemed to get quicker and quicker, so it put me under a bit more pressure, especially with just one lap at the end.”It was good enough for pole and I’m happy with that, especially here in Singapore.Lewis Hamilton spoke in support of Max Verstappen and his punishment“A good feeling. I’ve felt good all weekend, I’ve felt confident, maybe not so much in qualy but we got the job done.”Hamilton’s third place is his best qualifying since he was second on the grid at the British Grand Prix.He said: “Qualifying has been a disaster for me all year long and I have just been working and working and working trying to get myself back up there and all of a sudden the car came to me for the first time in a long time in qualifying.”We have been moving up and down on balance. We have changed everything and the mechanics have been faultless and I hope we are in a good position to fight for the front tomorrow.”Best new sign-up offersSunSport exclusivesEarlier in the day third practice was hit with chaos as a LIZARD wandered onto the track and forced a red flag.READ MORE SUN STORIESIt forced Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso to give it a wide berth on the street circuit.Meanwhile, Mercedes driver Russell said the lizard “looked like a dragon” on the team radio.Savage sackings in F1THE world of F1 can be savage, with employees discarded like used tea bags.Danish driver Kevin Magnussen was a rising star of the McLaren team when he made his debut in 2014 alongside Jensen Button.But when he finished the season trailing in eleventh place, he was swiftly replaced by two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso.Instead of breaking the bad news to him in a face-to-face meeting, boss Ron Dennis got his assistant to send Magnussen a short and impersonal email.Worst still, the curt message landed in Kevin’s inbox on his 23rd birthday.Read more tales of F1’s brutal world including one boss who was labelled an ‘executioner’ and a driver dumped by a brisk TEXT. More

MAX VERSTAPPEN has been punished for SWEARING as the FIA look to steer away from bad language.The Red Bull star was summoned to the stewards after his pre-race press conference on Thursday.Max Verstappen has been punished by the FIACredit: GettyThat’s because he breached rules regarding swearing after letting an F-bomb slip as he spoke to press.Referring to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix two weeks ago, where Verstappen finished fifth, he said: “The car was f***ed.”The Dutchman was summoned to the stewards for his comment, which was in breach of the sporting code.Stewards at the Singapore Grand Prix decided that Verstappen has to “accomplish some work of public interest” for using language they deemed “coarse, rude or may cause offence”.READ MORE ON F1The details of the work Verstappen must do have to be agreed between him and the FIA.A statement read: “The driver explained that the word used is ordinary in speech as he learned it, English not being his native language.“While the stewards accept that this may be true, it is important for role models to learn to be mindful when speaking in public forums, in particular when not under any particular pressure.“Verstappen apologised for his behaviour.”Most read in MotorsportCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSThe sanction comes after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem warned against the use of foul language in the sport.He said: “I mean, we have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music.Four F1 stars including Max Verstappen handed warnings for overtaking after race had FINISHED as fans left baffled“We’re not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are [us].“We have to be careful with our conduct. We need to be responsible people. And now with the technology, everything is going live and everything is going to be recorded. At the end of the day, we have to study that to see: do we minimise what is being said publicly?“Because imagine you are sitting with your children and watching the race and then someone is saying all of this dirty language. I mean, what would your children or grandchildren say? What would you teach them if that is your sport?” More