Ricciardo F1 career NOT over as opportunities prepare to open

It wasn’t quite so obvious in Singapore, but there was reason to believe Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career wasn’t quite over despite the all-round general sadness that we may have seen the last of him as a driver.

Newsflash, it was not because of his grand prix performance, which after an awfully-timed poor qualifying session, didn’t fare much better around Marina Bay as he was running well down the order and a long way back from RB team-mate Yuki Tsunoda before the former Red Bull star's late attempt to pit and gain a fastest lap.

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Again, neither did getting that fastest lap move the needle in any way in terms of keeping him onboard. Any F1 driver with a set of new slicks and low fuel can look like Michael Schumacher playing on easy mode.

Instead, it was off the track where the hopes were perhaps ignited after the race – and in general throughout the weekend - as rumours grew into worst kept secrets that from the next race at the United States, Ricciardo was going to be replaced by Liam Lawson in seemingly a very cut-throat move by Red Bull.

It’s hard to recall such a unanimous outpouring of sadness one driver’s looming departure can have on the paddock and fans. For instance, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso were both given fitting send offs as world champions and many were rightly sad to see them depart – Alonso has since returned of course but that’s beside the point.

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But Ricciardo isn’t even a world champion and has never been a serious title contender despite earning eight grand prix wins during an excellent career. The 35-year-old is however extremely popular. This may not matter when that is hidden by a crash helmet, steering wheel and 19 other cars, but it can count for a lot.

Teams looking for a sponsorship boost will benefit from signing Ricciardo. The talent on the track may not be as highly tuned as it once was but his marketing capabilities are still up there with the best.

That may be a crude way of looking at why Ricciardo isn’t done on the grid yet, but it is an unavoidable part of F1. Even now there are drivers on the grid who are there purely because of the revenue stream they can bring to teams.

It's unfair to relegate to Ricciardo as a cheeky-chappy Grade A pay-driver though, because he doesn’t need to prove his worth as an F1 star. Granted, his McLaren move was a disaster, and it’s not worked out at RB this season. This offers evidence that his best days are done but it’s three strikes and out, right?

Perhaps there is still a car/team that will fit him better even if not right now. Alonso, and soon Hamilton, are evidence that even into your 40s you can still maintain a competitive edge. If you need reminding of what Ricciardo is truly capable of, here are five of his greatest moments that underline the talent within - and have your say in our GPFans poll at the bottom of the page.

READ MORE: Red Bull chief HITS BACK as official Ricciardo future confirmation nears

Defeating Vettel in his Red Bull backyard

Heading into the 2014 season, Sebastian Vettel was unstoppable – quite literally. He had just won the last nine races of the 2013 campaign to win his fourth straight world championship.

However, F1 almost changed overnight during the intervening winter, as the hybrid rules came into effect as Hamilton and Nico Rosberg drove off into the distance and staged their own world championship battle for the next three years.

What many didn’t expect to happen in 2014 was for Vettel to even lose out to his team-mate. Ricciardo replaced another highly respected Australian in Mark Webber, but as the only driver not driving for Mercedes to win a grand prix that year (three of them), he trounced the German to the point he effectively kicked him out of the door to join Ferrari.

Handing Verstappen a rare F1 loss

Toughest job in F1 right now? Being Max Verstappen’s team-mate. Granted, you have a high chance of driving high-performing machinery that on a given weekend can give you the keys to victory, but in general you are on a hiding to nothing. Just ask Sergio Perez, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz.

Yet in 2017, and the Dutchman’s first full season with Red Bull, Ricciardo comfortably got the job done. Consistent podiums throughout the season won over despite Verstappen winning more races as the Australian still finished fifth in the championship and 32 points ahead of Verstappen having triumphed in Azerbaijan. It remains Verstappen’s only season defeat by a team-mate.

Monaco redemption

After the injustice of a botched pit-stop around Monte Carlo robbed Ricciardo of a deserved win in 2016, his 2018 victory around the tight and twisty streets was a feather in the cap for any world class driver.

Having taken pole position, he looked well set for victory already on a track where it is almost impossible to pass. But fate tried to deny him again, as a power unit problem robbed him of around 25 per cent of his engine performance forcing himself to heavily defend Vettel for two thirds of the race.

The pressure mounted but Ricciardo kept his cool to take a highly popular victory – before belly flopping into the Red Bull energy station pool to celebrate afterwards.

READ MORE: Ricciardo to be 'REPLACED' after Singapore GP with official confirmation imminent

Exceeding Renault expectations

Ditching Red Bull for Renault was a career gamble that ultimately proved a bust for Ricciardo, but his stock crucially remained high during his two years at the team.

Then Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul wasn’t high on Renault’s 2020 hopes following an utterly forgettable 2019 season. He even had a bet with Ricciardo that he would get a tattoo done if the Australian could finish on the podium that year. Of course, Ricciardo went on to achieve it not just once, but twice!

Third place finishes at the Nurburgring and Imola late in the season did the trick and eventually Abiteboul stuck to his word. What tattoo did Ricciardo choose for him? A honey badger of course!

McLaren’s magnificent Monza

You can almost count Ricciardo’s McLaren highlights in two years with the team on one hand – perhaps one finger. But what a moment it was.

Struggling all of the 2021 season with the car as Lando Norris drove rings around him, it was tough seeing Ricciardo properly struggle with a car for perhaps the first time in his career. By the Italian Grand Prix, Norris had three podiums and Ricciardo could barely crack the top five.

But as chaos played out in Monza, with title contenders Verstappen and Hamilton taking each other out, Ricciardo came up clutch to lead home a McLaren one-two to take what looks like being his final grand prix win on arguably the best podium of the season that overlooks the historic Monza track to thousands of tifosi.

READ MORE: Lawson reveals F1 ‘waiting game’ ahead of Ricciardo RB switch

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