'World-class' Ricciardo tribute shared by popular F1 figure

Formula 1 icon and hugely popular figure Martin Brundle paid tribute to Daniel Ricciardo amid news that his career in the sport could be over.

Last week, Visa Cash App RB revealed that Ricciardo had lost his seat within the team following a largely underwhelming 2024 season to date.

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He has now been replaced by Liam Lawson for the rest of this season, and, with no seat secured for 2025, looks to have featured on the grid for the last time.

The 35-year-old has been a mainstay in the sport since making his breakthrough at Toro Rosso in 2012, going on to represent Red Bull, Renault, and McLaren before joining RB last season.

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Martin Brundle pays Daniel Ricciardo tribute

That move, though, hasn't gone according to plan, with the popular racer consistently outperformed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

Those continued struggles are what have prompted his team to make a change in the cockpit as they look to build for the future.

Despite remaining largely upbeat about his prospects throughout the year, the eight-time race winner appeared visibly upset as he addressed media following Sunday's race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Now F1 pundit Brundle has hailed Ricciardo's impact on the sport in an emotional tribute which featured in his Sky Sports column.

"It was Daniel's last race in F1 for a while, and perhaps forever," he wrote. "It was a rather half-hearted and confusing exit from the team perspective.

"The fans rewarded him with driver of the day as a farewell present, and that leaves him with a tally of 257 starts, 8 wins, 3 poles, and 32 podiums. And an awful lot of smiles and happy fans.

"Well done and good luck to him whatever happens next, he's a quality guy and world-class driver."

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