Daniel Ricciardo was dumped by Red Bull last month and will be replaced by Liam Lawson at sister team VCARB, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still make a big impact at the US Grand Prix
US Grand Prix bigwigs are crossing their fingers that Daniel Ricciardo will grace the Austin race with his presence despite being chopped from the Formula 1 line-up.
After getting the boot from Red Bull post-Singapore Grand Prix, the Aussie speedster was swapped out for VCARB’s hotshot reserve Liam Lawson. With the US GP on the horizon, it’ll be the first F1 shindig since Ricciardo’s exit hit the headlines, and given his massive fanbase in the States, he’d be swamped with love if he rocked up, even just to cheer from the stands.
Circuit of the Americas’ head honcho Bobby Epstein is buzzing at the thought of the 35-year-old pitching up. He gushed: “Daniel, he may be able to have just as big an impact out of the car as he has in it at our grand prix.”
He added: “I am not sure that necessarily people are buying tickets to come see him race if he is not in a competitive car, right? So, if you are coming because he is part of the F1 community, I think he can still be part of the F1 community in a pretty meaningful way. He is really, really loved in Texas, and I think he likes it here.”
Epstein’s wish is for Ricciardo to mingle more with his admirers sans racing duties. He said: “I would hope that he makes himself available more to the fans than he would otherwise be if he had an obligation in the car.
“I hope he is still coming here, because we have got a lot of people who would love to shake his hand or get his autograph or take a picture – just see him around town. We will keep him busy,” reports the Mirror.
A potential appearance at COTA could provide F1 enthusiasts with an opportunity to express their fondness for Ricciardo, whose racing career in the sport appears to be drawing to a close following his departure. Red Bull has faced backlash for their handling of the situation, which only saw the news officially confirmed post the Singapore race, despite numerous indications that Ricciardo’s time was up.
Several fans criticised the team for seemingly leaving Ricciardo in a state of uncertainty, unaware of his impending fate and depriving him of the chance to bid a proper farewell. However, Mirror Sport understands it was the Aussie’s choice to keep his exit under wraps until after the race in the Asian city.
David Coulthard echoed this information, offering his perspective on why it might have been a wise move by his fellow ex-Red Bull racer. On his Formula For Success podcast, the Scot said: “I know there has been a lot of reaction negatively, people going, why was he not given that opportunity? “.
“But I have heard that he was given that opportunity and chose not to. So I am trying to kind of figure that out in my head, whether that is just a personal thing, [he] did not want to be distracted by that, or whether that is some sort of media masterstroke which will just gain even more mileage when I imagine he will or should turn up in Austin and Vegas.
“He is big in America. [Those are] two great opportunities for him to get a lot of airtime and make it all about him, where maybe it would have been mixed into a Grand Prix weekend in Singapore.”