Christian Horner provides fresh Daniel Ricciardo F1 future update ...

Was the Singapore Grand Prix the final Formula 1 race for Daniel Ricciardo? The VCARB driver’s future in the series is in doubt after a string of less-than-impressive performances — and Red Bull boss Christian Horner spoke about what that future could look like after the race.

Understandably, Horner wasn’t keen on sharing too many details about the Red Bull organization’s plans — but he was clear that the time has come to explore all its options.

It wasn’t long ago that Sergio Perez’s role at Red Bull Racing was in doubt; now, that doubt has shifted to Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB as we head into the post-Singapore break.

But what made the Singapore Grand Prix such a critical time for Ricciardo’s future? The eight-time Grand Prix winner simply hasn’t performed up to snuff when compared to teammate Yuki Tsunoda, and Helmut Marko has suggested that team shareholders are keen to return to VCARB’s junior team roots by signing a young driver: Liam Lawson.

Lawson impressed during the five-race stint in which he replaced an injured Ricciardo in 2023, and it came as a bit of a surprise that VCARB opted to retain Ricciardo over Lawson coming into 2024.

While it isn’t clear if a stellar performance would have changed anything for Ricciardo, the Australian ended the race at the rear of the field after a difficult weekend — but he did secure fastest lap at the very end of the event, snatching the point away from Lando Norris, who could come to challenge Max Verstappen for the title.

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“Daniel obviously wanted to finish the race on a high,” Horner told media after the Singapore Grand Prix.

“We know Daniel very well, we know what he’s capable of, how he drives a car.”

However, Horner declined to specifically address Ricciardo’s future with the team, instead pointing to the month-long break before the United States Grand Prix by saying: “We’ve now got a period of time where we’ll evaluate all of the relevant performances of the drivers. It’s a natural break in the season to reflect on that.

“There’s a bigger picture beyond Daniel.”

The overall Red Bull organization fields four total cars in F1 — two for Red Bull Racing and two for VCARB — so it’s understandable that the team is concerned with how each driver fits into the overall scope of the team. But whether or not there will be a future there for Ricciardo remains to be seen.

But if you ask the Australian, it certainly sounds as if he’s accepted his fate.

When asked if he’ll be in the car in Austin, Ricciardo admitted: “Look, obviously, there’s a realistic chance that it’s not going to happen.”

While he also mentioned that Sergio Perez could be in the same boat in terms of evaluating their performances on a race-by-race basis, Ricciardo admitted that his Singapore weekend was not what he’d wanted it to be — and that his career may suffer for it.

“So, I’m obviously prepared for it,” he said of his departure, “and that’s why I think, over the weekend, I just tried to acknowledge a few things as well with myself, and I think acknowledged also why I came back into the sport.”

That mindset allowed Ricciardo to wrestle with several big questions. Will he be happy spending even more time battling for a point or two during a race weekend? Would a younger driver do better? Does Ricciardo deserve his VCARB seat over someone like Lawson?

“In the end, if I came up a little short,” he said of his career.

“I also can’t be too hard on myself. I’m happy with the effort I put in, and I think for that, there’s no sadness or feeling of regret or what could have been. I think I put my best foot forward.”

Daniel Ricciardo’s fate will be decided in these coming weeks.

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