Helmut Marko sticks boot in on Daniel Ricciardo as timing of Red Bull F1 axe explained
Daniel Ricciardo has been replaced by Liam Lawson at VCARB for the final six races of the F1 season as Red Bull decided they could no longer justify the Australian's place at their junior team
by Daniel Moxon · The MirrorDaniel Ricciardo was axed because he showed a lack of "killer instinct", Helmut Marko has explained.
The Australian finished what is likely to be his final ever Formula 1 race down in 18th in Singapore two weeks ago. The way he spoke after the race hinted that it was the end for him at Red Bull's junior team VCARB and that was confirmed a few days later.
Fans criticised that approach as it denied them the chance to say a proper goodbye to one of the most popular F1 racers ever. Long-serving team adviser Marko explained why Red Bull decided to do it that way as he bemoaned a disappointing "lack of performance" from the 35-year-old.
In his Speedweek column, he wrote: "Ricciardo's departure was announced after the race weekend in Singapore for compelling reasons related to commercial agreements. He himself was informed in good time and - to use his own words - he is at peace with himself. I also think that the fastest lap he set was a fitting farewell performance.
"He was given a second chance that no-one else would have given him. And that was under the premise that a return to Red Bull Racing was possible if he performed well enough. The Racing Bulls team was always intended as a stopover.
"But the necessary performance only came twice, once with a fourth place in the sprint in Miami this year and last year in Mexico. Otherwise, the speed was not there and the consistency was not there either.
"The performance that would have justified a promotion to Red Bull Racing was missing. But that was the whole point of the whole thing. If we knew why the performance wasn't as good as it should be, we would have done everything we could to change it.
"But the same killer instinct was no longer there. He was famous for his uncompromising overtaking, braking at the last point. But that was no longer the case either."
Reserve driver Liam Lawson, 22, has been promoted to replace his fellow Antipodean. Alongside 24-year-old Yuki Tsunoda, VCARB have two young talents behind the wheel of their cars again, as is the intention for Red Bull's junior team, but Marko went on to make it clear that the Kiwi needs to hit the ground running in these final weeks of the current season if he is to still have a place on the grid next term.
He said: "We will evaluate how he compares to Yuki Tsunoda and then we will see what happens. He must deliver a performance worthy of Formula 1, as he has done in his previous GP appearances. We have other strong juniors in the junior squad, such as Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar. We will use them in the rookie sprint, which is to be held on the junior test day after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Then we will see how it goes."
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