Ricciardo, a beloved figure in the paddock and a proven race winner, found himself struggling to match the performances of his younger team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
Despite rumours swirling that Singapore would be his last race, the team and Ricciardo did not confirm his departure publicly at the time due to reported sponsorship complications.
The saga, according to Hewgill, is yet another example of Red Bull’s long-standing approach of prioritising results over loyalty or driver welfare.
"I think history shows us they don’t care that much," he added.
"The way they treated Daniel Ricciardo was poor. Everybody knew, even he knew he was on his way out, and yet they didn’t handle that in a dignified manner at all.
"They consistently show they haven’t learnt lessons from the past."