Ricciardo exit puts $35 MILLION Red Bull deal in jeopardy

Daniel Ricciardo's exit from Red Bull could put a huge deal in jeopardy for the team going forward.

The popular 35-year-old was dropped from the company's Visa Cash App RB team after the Singapore Grand Prix, with young New Zealander Liam Lawson coming in to replace him.

READ MORE: Ricciardo drops $3.5 million Red Bull BOMBSHELL as official F1 exit confirmed

Ricciardo’s F1 performances have severely declined since he joined McLaren in 2021, with the Aussie unable to recover his previous form this season, and was eclipsed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

The Japanese star delivered consistent points finishes for RB, whilst Ricciardo failed to get out of Q1 on multiple occasions, with his performance in Singapore signalling the end of his career.

What will Daniel Ricciardo do after F1?

Whilst an F1 return seems unlikely for Ricciardo, Red Bull bosses Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have revealed their hopes that he will take on an ambassadorial role within the team.

The Australian is beloved by F1 audiences for his sense of humour and paddock antics throughout the years, including debuting the ‘shoey’ as a form of podium celebration.

Despite being axed from the F1 grid Ricciardo the Circuit of The Americas chairman, Bobby Epstein is hopeful he will attend the US Grand Prix next week, where Ricciardo memorably arrived on via horseback in 2022.

READ MORE: Ricciardo NFL 'brother' pays classy tribute to Aussie star after F1 departure

The circuit’s desire to see Ricciardo at the race shows that the Aussie still holds tremendous marketing appeal, and according to ESPN, his presence was 'vital' in securing the $35 million-a-year title partnership with Visa and CashApp.

They added that Ricciardo’s presence in RB helped increase this amount ‘a testimony to the marketing clout of the man still considered to be the face of Netflix's hit documentary series "Drive to Survive’.’

Without Ricciardo’s presence at RB their commercial value could drop due to his popularity attracting sponsorship and merchandise sales.

However if he does continue on in an ambassadorial role for RB or Red Bull their revenue could receive a boost, and the financial implications of his exit could be mitigated.

READ MORE: NASCAR, IndyCar, or retirement? Ricciardo on racing future as F1 EXIT made official

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