F1 boss admits key role in Ricciardo demise

Daniel Ricciardo's boss at Visa Cash App RB has admitted the team must take their share of the blame for the Formula 1 star's poor results.

The Australian veteran looks likely to be replaced by the team's reserve driver Liam Lawson for the remaining six races of the season, and with his contract up at the end of this year, is facing up to the prospect of his F1 career being over.

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Since joining Red Bull's sister team midway through 2023, Ricciardo has struggled to find the form which previously made him one of the most sought-after racers in the sport.

Despite showing the occasional glimpse of his quality, he has been largely outperformed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who will remain at the team having signed a new deal earlier this year.

Mekies discusses relentless Ricciardo pressure

Speculation over Ricciardo's future has been ever-present throughout 2024, with the 35-year-old receiving some fierce criticism for his displays.

Despite that, he had been linked with a shock return to Red Bull as a short-term replacement for Sergio Perez, but those plans were shelved during the summer break.

Ricciardo has remained upbeat on his future prospects, but was visibly upset following last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, where he posted the day's fastest lap, admitting it would likely be his last appearance for RB.

Speaking to SiriusXM, team boss Laurent Mekies admitted that the team's decision to openly discuss Ricciardo's struggles in 2024 would have done little to ease the pressure on his shoulders.

“There is nothing wrong with reviewing your drivers’ performance every few races, and I think we have perhaps been too public about it,” he said.

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“We have done it in the first part of the season, we have done it quite famously just before the summer break, I guess at some stage we have said we will see after Singapore as well to discuss!

“So it’s part of the game. Certainly sometimes you can see it’s probably going a bit too far in terms of pressure, above all for Daniel in that case.

“I think the first thought is for Daniel, because he has had a lot of that this season.

"Some races it’s been quiet, some races it’s been very difficult, this is for sure one of the very difficult races.

"Of course, these guys are high level athletes and they know how to deal with it but sometimes it’s a bit unnecessary.”

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